Memories
by Charlotte Eraviel
Summary: The past will always have a way of catching up, whether we like it or not. It's good to have something to remember, but sometimes, we'd wish that we shouldn't have remembered anything at all.
1. An Inevitable Encounter

**Hello guys! Eraviel here!**

 **First of all, I want to apologize for not continuing Change. I really wanted to, honestly, but it would turn out to be a murder-suicide thing if I continued it. (Though yes, I want to do it, but man, I also have a heart, you know)**

 **Anyways, this is a new fic. I don't know if I should add Tragedy genre here. I can't be sure yet about how the story will go, so I'll just keep it the way it is for now.**

 **Will have Romance in the future chappies. (Probably)**

 **Please don't get confused about the genre and the chapter content :)**

 **I do not own anything from the Nep series.**

 **The Seven Sages will be included, but they will not be the main highlight of the story.**

 **Onto the fic now, enjoy~**

* * *

"It's time for you to die!"

In a place where lands were floating, the rainbows were bridges, and full of green grasses, there were four people, no, goddesses to be exact, clashing their weapons against each other. Scratch it, it looked like the battle was three versus one. The goddess of green, wielding a long spear, the goddess of white, wielding a giant axe, and the goddess of black, wielding a large sword, teaming up against one, the goddess of purple, who only had the option of defending herself.

"Ngh!" The goddess of purple inevitably let go of her weapon as she blocked the incoming attack.

She moved back to retrieve her weapon, but only to be hindered by the goddess of green as she threw her spear, intercepting the goddess of purple's weapon, to prevent her from getting her sword back.

At the same time, the goddess of black was charging towards her, ready to destroy her.

"Now it's time for you to disappear!"

She was wide open. She wouldn't be able to block the goddess of black's attack.

"Kyaaaaahhh!"

After receiving a direct strike to her body, she was blown away from the battlefield, fell down to the skies, and lost consciousness.

 **~o~O~o~**

"Mmhhmm…"

A certain purple-haired girl slowly opened her eyes as she regained her consciousness. She could feel intense pain in her head, and made her cringe a little.

She observed her surroundings, and could not see anything aside from blue; sky blue, to be exact. Yep, nothing, just pure sky blue around her.

"Hmm, where am I?"

Well, of course, nobody answered. She inspected her surroundings once more, and realized that there was something odd going on.

"Wait, don't tell me I'm…"

She looked above her. Oh wait…

"…I'm falling. Totally falling."

Nah, she looked BELOW her.

"Meh, this always happens, so I'm kind of used to it… It would take more than this to make me panic."

She laughed at herself.

"Still, this is a pretty long fall. We're reaching an undiscovered place with this flight."

She retracted what she just said earlier.

"And this speed… it's no joke." She swung her head left to right.

"Doesn't this situation look bad…? Yeah, I'm in trouble, right, RIGHT?!"

She flapped her hands, hoping that it would lower her rate of descent, but her attempts were futile. Well, of course, if anyone could've done that, most people would be flying in the skies already.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH, what do I do?!"

And that was when she panicked.

 **~o~O~o~**

"Heeeey, waaait. You're walking too fast…" A short, purple-haired girl was running in the woods as she called out to someone.

"You walk too slowly." A girl with raven hair tied in a twin-tail style, said as she let her companion catch up to her. "That's why I said that you should've stayed home and watch the freaking game instead of coming with me."

"Aww, but I really wanted to go with you…"

 **~o~O~o~**

"Hmm? Are those people? Girls? A pair of grilly girls?!" The falling purple-haired girl said as she spotted people from below. "Wow, those previous experiences paid off. I could see them from up here."

Wasn't she just panicking earlier? Now, where did she get those experiences, by the way?

"Or my eyes were just this awesome? Kyaahh! I'm getting hyped…"

That doesn't really matter, really.

"…NOT! I'm falling too fast, and my landing trajectory is…!"

Took her long to notice that. In any way, she doesn't have the power to control her landing, less likely to change the direction of her fall.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY! MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

 **~o~O~o~**

"…Huh?" A certain short, purple-haired girl wondered for a bit. She could've sworn that she heard a voice from somewhere, but she couldn't pinpoint it out directly.

"What're you spacing out for? I'll leave you behind if you don't hurry up." Her black-haired companion asked her as she stopped on her tracks.

The purple-haired girl then looked above. "Yeaaah, I know, but…"

"But what?"

The purple-haired girl spaced out again for a bit. "Hmmm, uhmmm, well, I wonder… how I should break it to you…"

The black-haired girl sighed.

"Geez, you're not making any sense. Just speak what you have in mind."

"Uhm, well… up in the sky… there's a person…"

The black-haired girl raised an eyebrow. "A person in the sky? I don't get you sometimes." She couldn't get the logic on her companions answer. Any normal person would think that her companion's a little weird if they heard the same thing.

The purple-haired girl continued to stare at the said person in the sky. "Weeell, I think… it's more like… the person is… falling…?"

The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes in disbelief as she stared at her companion. Seriously, anyone would feel that way if someone just told them something about a person falling from the sky. It's something that doesn't happen every day… or even years.

And what's more…

"Uh, what? We're in the middle of nowhere, so how and why someone would be falling from the sky?"

The purple-haired girl didn't say anything for a bit, and then turned to her companion after a short while.

"The thing is… Noire… Well, at this rate… you're, uh…"

Noire raised an eyebrow once again. "I'm…?"

Suddenly…

"MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

"Huh? BLLLARMFFGGHH!"

 ***LOUD CRASH***

"Oh, wow… what a loud crash…"

Did she just read the bolded text?

"Ouchie… That was one hell of a fall. It could've taken off a few years of my life."

The purple-haired girl, with a long, braided hair, approached the girl who just fell from the sky, in the middle of nowhere.

"Ohh, you're still alive…! Are you okay…?"

"What's up? Oh, and nay, a fall like this is nothing! I've experience worse than this one." The newcomer said as she chuckled. Wow, that fall should've hurt her lots.

The braided purple-haired girl was astonished. "Ohh, a seasoned sky-faller, I see…!" She said in amazement. "But… um, Noire is…"

"Oops! My bad, sorry for freaking you out. I'm Neptune. Nice to meet you~!" Neptune introduced.

The other girl tilted her head in confusion, but realized what she hadn't done yet. "Huh? Oh, yes…! I want to introduce myself too…"

She took a deep breath before speaking.

"I'm Plutia, nice to meet you too…"

"Ohhh, what a nice name! Sounds like a magical girl who loves to eat festival foods, like a takoyaki." Neptune said.

Plutia was confused. "What's a takoyaki…?" She asked. It was an alien word for her.

Neptune's face turned into a horror one, but immediately reverted back to normal. "Uhm, nevermind."

"Plutia, huh? Can I just call you Plutie? Your name has a few more syllables than I could say, hehe."

Doesn't look like there's any difference when writing it in English, though.

"Oh…! Okay…! In that case… can I call you… Neppy…?"

Neptune's eyes sparkled. "Nice one, Plutie! By the way, where are we? I don't remember being in here before."

She just realized that after the fall.

"Here…? This is Planeptune. It was founded just a liiiiiitle while ago…" Plutia said.

Neptune tried to think something about Planeptune.

"Hmmm, that name sounds familiar, but I couldn't remember…" Neptune said as she tried to think more. "Aside from having my name in it… heh."

But, we all know Neptune's not a good thinker. I'm going to hell if she read this.

"Weeeell, it's a new country… and not really popular…"

Neptune gave up on thinking about it. There's no use if she doesn't know a thing.

"Whatever! I'm sure that I'll remember it someday~ Hehe."

They were having fun talking to each other when suddenly, a voice from somewhere spoke, which sounded very, very pissed off. Scratch it, not just pissed off, the voice sounded like it was angry big time.

"How long are you going to chat there while sitting on me?!"

Neptune freaked out and stood up immediately. She just realized that there's a person under her, and she just used her as a cushion. Unintentionally, though. "Holy mother of goddess, someone just sprouted out of the earth! Are the mole people attempting an invasion?!"

Plutia was shocked to hear that comment. "Uh-oh, Noire, you never told me anything about you being a mole person…"

"Because obviously, I'm not one! Did you just forget that I was here?!" Noire said as she stood up and cleaned the dusts off her clothes. She's seriously mad at Neptune and her airhead friend as well.

Plutia laughed nervously. "Oopsies, I'm sorry… I was having fun talking to Neppy…"

She's brutally honest, if I were to say.

"As for YOU!" Noire pointed her finger to Neptune. "Falling out from the sky like that! And what's more, LANDING ON ME! It's ridiculous!"

Neptune freaked out at Noire's sudden call. "Well, yeah. I'm sorry, but it's not like I wanted to fall down on you."

"Yeah? Tell me about it." Noire crossed her arms. She could slit Neptune's throat at any time.

Please don't do that, Noire.

"Well, it's because…"

It was that moment when she just realized something vital.

"Uh, I don't remember…" Neptune said.

Noire almost lost her balance after hearing that answer. "You DON'T remember?! How am I supposed to believe that?"

Neptune laughed nervously. She gotta be honest with herself, it's no laughing matter.

"Uhm, I'm not really referring to my fall…" Neptune said as she scratched her cheek. "I don't remember anything."

Plutia was surprised and worried at the same time. "Eehhh, you lost your memories, Neppy…?"

"Well, something like that. I can't even remember how and why I was falling in the first place." Neptune said.

Noire sighed in disbelief. "Geez, for crying out loud." Noire said. "So, what are we going to do with this amnesiac sky-faller?"

"Hmm…" Plutia closed her eyes for a bit. "Maybe… Histoire can do something about her memory loss…?"

"I agree, that's the best we can do for now." Noire said and sighed once more. "I guess my schedule for today will be called off."

 **~o~O~o~**

After almost an hour of walking, they arrived at Planeptune's Basilicom. There weren't too many staff stationed inside, and the security looks a bit light. Maybe because they rarely have internal issues, who knows.

"Hey, Plutie… What is this place?" Neptune said as she looked around the place. She could see a lot of stuff that most houses or buildings don't have. "This place looks grand."

"Ah… this place…? I live here, Neppy…" Plutia said like it's a matter of fact.

It took ten seconds before Neptune processed what Plutia just said. Well, anyone would definitely have a lag if they experienced something like this as well.

"EHH?! You…?! This is your house?!" Neptune backed away as she couldn't believe what she just heard.

Plutia just nodded innocently.

"You didn't introduce yourself properly, huh, Plutia?" Noire said as she sighed.

Neptune raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that, Noire?"

"This place is called a Basilicom. The CPU of the country resides here." Noire explained. "And you might've guessed it already, but I might as well say it."

Noire walked beside Plutia and patted her head. "This is Plutia, the CPU of Planeptune."

"Why don't I feel surprised anymore?" Neptune asked with an awkward face. "I might've seen that coming."

"I'm Planeptune's CPU, Plutia… Nice to meet you…!" Plutia said as she waved her hands up.

"L-Likewise…!" Neptune replied nervously. "So, how about you, Noire? Are you a CPU too?"

Noire shivered from Neptune's question. It's the question that she was hoping not to be asked to her, because it's a secret between her and Plutia only.

Either way, she just looked away from Neptune.

"Heey, Noire… I think… it's okay for Neppy to know it… since we're… friends…" Plutia said with a beaming smile. "Plus… if Neppy gets one too… we can be together forever…!"

Noire's wall crumbled; she got shot right through the heart. She couldn't refuse if Plutia says it like that.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH! Alright! I'll tell you. But first, we have to go see Histoire!" Noire said as she walked to the stairs. "What are you two standing there? Let's go!"

"Yeeeesss…!"

"Aye, Aye, sir!"

Neptune and Plutia followed Noire. They didn't talk about anything, as Noire's really in a bad mood right now, and neither of them want to get her pissed off more than she already do.

After a short while, they stopped in front of a certain room.

"Histoire…?"

Noire opened the door of a certain room, and checked if the person they were looking for is present. Sadly, she got no replies.

"Ah… Histoire is still not here… I wonder where she went off…" Plutia said as she peeped in the room. She then went inside, and sat down on a cushion. "I'm… beat…"

This is Plutia's room, by the way.

"I'm tired!" Neptune said as she sat down beside Plutia. "That fall is seriously painful."

Noire popped a nerve. "That's rich, coming from someone who just used me as a landing pad." She said in an irritated tone. "I should be the one saying that."

"Now, now, don't sweat the small details!" Neptune said.

"You call that a small detail?!" Noire said as she hit Neptune on the head.

"Owieee! You didn't have to hit me!"

"Of course I would, you just-"

In an instant, the room was filled with dread, which made Noire and Neptune frozen on spot.

"H-Hey, what is this c-cold feeling…?" Neptune asked.

Noire couldn't say a single word. Her voice was completely disabled as the shivers in her spine were far stronger than making actions.

"Neppy… Noire…"

Slowly, Noire and Neptune turned to their friend, Plutia, who's already standing, with her head lowered down a bit. She's emitting a seriously dark malice, disconnecting their mind from their body.

"Are you two… having a fight…?"

Plutia then raised her head and stared at them dreadfully.

"Eek…!"

"I… I don't want… my friends… to fight…" Plutia then curled her fists. "If you don't stop fighting now…"

"Eeeek…!" Neptune and Noire's fear grew.

"I might reaaaally get angryyy…"

So, in order to save their lives, Noire braved it up and spoke. "W-W-Wait, t-time out! We're not fighting anymore, right?!" She then turned to Neptune and grabbed her by the shoulders. "See, we're good now!"

"Y-Yeah…! We're bestest of friends! R-Right, Noire?!" Neptune said awkwardly while trying to fight her fear.

"Y-Yeah!"

Afterwards, Plutia beamed a smile. "Oh, okay…! Hehehe…! I like it better…!"

Neptune and Noire sighed in relief. They just dodged one lethal bullet earlier.

"W-What was that cold feeling…? It felt like… a very cold murderous intent…" Neptune whispered to herself.

Noire heard what Neptune just said and brought herself closer to her ear. "I don't care about who you are, but if you value your life, never upset Plutia." She whispered.

"Uh, I have no idea about what you're saying, but that seems to be a good advice." Neptune said nervously.

"I'm happy that you two made up…!" Plutia said as she hugged the two of them. They felt a slight shiver, but they didn't retaliate as they knew that it'll be a bad idea.

A seriously bad idea.

"Oh, and Neppy… you don't remember anything, right…?"

Neptune could only agree. "Uh, at the very least, yeah…" She said dejectedly.

"Well, until you recover your memories, you can stay here…! I'll take gooood care of you…" Plutia said.

"A-Ah, no… I mean, thanks. I appreciate it." Neptune replied. She doesn't have a place to stay anyway. Add that she lost her memories, leaving her outdoors is like throwing a cat in a dog's nest. And, she gotta be careful with her actions as she didn't want to experience that fear again.

Noire didn't seem to agree with Plutia's decision, though.

"Wait, you can't be serious, Plutia. You're letting some weird girl stay here?" Noire objected.

"I'm aaaaalways serious, Noire. Besides, a CPU helps those in need, riiiight…?" Plutia said like it's a basic knowledge.

Well, it is.

"True, but what if she's an underling for the Seven Sages? Doesn't that look like trouble?" Noire said.

Neptune had question marks above her head after hearing their conversation.

"Seven Sages? What are those? Are they chocolates?" Neptune asked.

Plutia swung her head. "Don't worry! Neppy is a good girl." Plutia said.

Noire narrowed her eyes as she stared at Neptune. She didn't seem to be convinced but the answers were already in front of her.

"I guess. For them to hire someone as brain-dead like her, the odds are really low." Noire said.

Neptune ignored Noire's insults.

"Hey, hey, what are those Chocolate Sages? Tell me, tell me!"

"Shut it. I don't feel any obligation to tell you anything." Noire said.

Neptune pouted. "Boo! Why are you so mean, Noire?!"

"I'm not being mean, I'm just being real here." Noire then crossed her arms.

Plutia didn't seem to be pleased with their ramblings. "…Are you two going to fight after allll…?" She asked the two as she frowned.

"Eeek!" They panicked. Of course, they would. Experiencing something deadly just a few minutes ago, nobody would want to feel that the second time for the rest of their lives.

Strange, Neptune could've sworn that she didn't want to experience that thing again.

"N-No! We have no intentions to fight, right?" Noire said and turned to Neptune.

Neptune could only agree. "Y-Yeah! We're friends forever! Lookit how we hug and no cringe!"

Plutia smiled again. Yep, believes too easy.

"Ooh! That's sweet… Hehehe… I misunderstood."

Noire whispered again to Neptune. "I'll say it again. If you were to stay here, never, ever make Plutia angry, you got that?"

"Y-Yeah…" Neptune nodded nervously.

 **~o~O~o~**

"Whoa, blow me a cartridge and be called a 64-pin connector! You call this a game?! It's insanely retro, you guys!" Neptune said as she held on a game cartridge. "Hey, mind if I give this thing a shot? Yeah, of course I can!"

"Power on!" Neptune then pressed the power button. "Whoaaa, blurry and pixelated art! Hahaha, lookit this! Did they create this game in less than five minutes?!"

"This is an embodiment of shovelware!" Neptune said as she laughed.

"Bad Neppy! This game is best played with a friend…" Plutia said as she sat down beside Neptune. "Let's play it together!"

Neptune then grabbed a controller. "Oh my sweet Gamindustri, let's get playing!"

Noire didn't seem to be pleased with their laziness. Another lazybone in Planeptune gives her another headache. "Hey, don't goof off with her now!"

Plutia frowned. "Aww, can't I? Just a liiitle bit…?"

"Yeah, come on, Noire! Just for a little bit! Don't be a spoilsport!" Neptune took Plutia's side.

Well, they're on the same side, to begin with.

"Don't spoilsport me! Do you even understand the situation you're in right now?!"

"Hmm, situation…" Neptune wondered. "I'm in Plutie's Basilicom, with tons of crazy old games, mangas, and…"

"Whatever, given the situation I'm in, I just gotta try 'em out all, right? RIGHT?!" Neptune said without a care.

Noire smiled. "Yeah, you just have to try 'em…"

In an instant, her smile disappeared. "…NOT! Of course, that's not what I'm talking about! You might've families and friends looking out there for you and worried, so do you think you have the luxury to laze around here?"

Neptune's cheerful persona died down. "Yeah… but it's not like I remember them, if I have any…"

Noire felt guilty all of a sudden. "Well, yeah, that's true, but…"

She just touched a very sensitive topic. A topic that Neptune didn't want to talk about.

"Noire… Neppy doesn't recognize anyone aside from us… She can't just trust anyone she doesn't know…" Plutia said. "Eiiiither way, you should be nice to her…"

Noire sighed. "I know, but your intentions of just wanting to hang out with her is far more obvious than you think it wasn't."

"Ehehehe…"

Neptune reverted back to her old self. "Either way, it's pointless to think about things that I don't know, so let's get back to playing!"

"Ah… I want to play as that character, Neppy…!"

And, Noire's tolerance is out.

"Ugh, will you two knock it off already?!" Noire said as she slammed the table.

"Nepu?!"

"Puru?!"

"Plutia, you should be working! What kind of a CPU just lazing here doing games and unproductive things?!"

Plutia's excitement got killed. "Aww, I'm soooooorry…"

Noire then turned to Neptune. "And you! Even if you don't give a crap about getting your memories back, at least, carry your own weight!" Noire said as she pointed her finger to Neptune. "No work, no food. You got that?!"

"Look at this Noire, acting all bossy and getting hot after telling me not to upset Plutia…" Neptune murmured to herself.

Noire leered at Neptune. "Did you say something?"

"Nope! Not a single word." Neptune answered.

 **~o~O~o~**

"Okay, that settles our work for today. Good job, you two." Noire said as they arrived back at the guild, the place where adventurers accept and submit quests.

"Hooray for working hard…!" Plutia said as she waved her arms cheerfully.

Neptune wondered about something for a bit. "Why do I get the feeling that this shouldn't be the work of CPU's?"

"True, quests are normally done by normal citizens to rake up money, for the most part." Noire explained. "Plus, Plutia doesn't know how to do other works except for this, but it's kind of understandable since she's still new to this whole CPU stuff."

"Noire's so niiiiiiice…" Plutia said as she smiled.

Noire narrowed her eyes as she stared at Plutia. She knew that she'd get carried away if she spoiled her too much. Though I don't think it's a bad thing for her, really. Only for Planeptune itself.

"But still, you need to be more competent, otherwise, your people will start doubting your ability." Noire said.

"I retract what I said earlier… you're being strict again…"

After hearing that conversation, Neptune seemed to have a confusion about something related to CPUs. Though she had no memories about them, it was still bugging her mind.

"Excuse me, gals?"

Noire shifted her attention to Neptune. "What's wrong?"

"Is a CPU… something you become? You're not just born one?" Neptune asked.

Noire froze for a bit.

"Ugh, yeah. I was about to talk about it later when Histoire comes, but I guess it's fine." Noire said. "You'll see, I'll become a CPU someday, and make my own nation."

Plutia cheered for her. "Hooraaay, do your best, Noire!"

"Hey, don't be so happy just because you beat me to it first!" Noire said. "You should at least say that you won't lose to me, or else there won't be a competition."

Before Plutia could say anything back, Neptune butted between their conversation, panicking.

"Wait, wait, wait, this is too much!" Neptune cried. "So, you become a CPU? Doesn't it look bad that anyone can just become one?!"

"Of course not, it's not going to be that easy. If it is, then this world would be a warzone." Noire said. "Seriously, what the heck is wrong with you? It's basic knowledge, you know."

Neptune popped a nerve. "You're telling that to someone who just lost her memories."

"Oops, my bad." Noire said sarcastically.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?! Bully Noire!" Neptune threw a tantrum.

Noire just ignored her.

"Still, I'm curious. How do you become a CPU?" Neptune asked out of curiosity as her tantrum didn't affect anyone. "Does something good come out of it?"

Noire sighed.

"It's a pain, but I'm gonna explain it to you anyway." Noire said with less motivation. "First of all, you need a CPU Memory, which could be found in a Memory Core."

"Ooohh, like a change class items in RPGs! A lame name though." Neptune said. "Are they rare drops?"

"It's beyond rare. Something like Legendary." Noire said. "Only a few Memory Cores exist, and they only produce one CPU memory every couple of centuries."

Neptune was surprised to hear that. Well, no one would find themselves not surprised after learning that interval.

"Centuries? What a crazy lag for a respawn time! Only MMO shut-ins who camp 25/7 a week can get it!" Neptune said.

"How many hours do you have in a day?!" Noire said with irritation, but she composed herself back with a sigh. She couldn't let herself be distressed with Neptune's actions all the time. "The interval is still randomized, so it's not like you can predict the arrival of the next memory."

"Aaaand, there's a Memory Core near this place…!" Plutia reported.

"Man, I bet that there's gotta be an insane fight night before someone could claim it!" Neptune said.

Noire swung her head and sighed in disappointment. "Nobody battles over it. There aren't a lot of people looking for it."

"I stumbled upon mine when I went on a looooovely picnic…" Plutia said.

Neptune sweat dropped. "Eh, it was that easy? Can you please explain it a bit further…?"

Plutia then cleared her throat before telling a story from long time ago. This isn't a fairy tale, okay?

"Weeeell, the weather's really nice that day, so I decided to open my basket by the river…"

Before she could continue her looong story, Noire intervened, with her terribly panicking. It's pretty obvious that things didn't go well that day. At least, for her.

"Hey, wait, don't go that way! Please don't remind me of that day." She said. "The terror that I've felt the first time I saw Plutia activated HDD..."

"Terror, huh?" Neptune smirked.

"Nothing! Forget about it! Let's not stray away from the topic, shall we?" Noire said as she changed the subject back to its original one. "You need the CPU Memory to become a CPU, but that doesn't mean anyone can just become one."

"Only the people born with certain qualities were eligible, so if anyone lacking those qualities tried to use one…"

Neptune paid close attention to Noire. She was about to drop the bomb.

"It's a cliché, old fairy tale, but I've heard that they would become a hideous monster." Noire said.

Didn't I just say that it wasn't a fairy tale?

"Sounds terrifying." Neptune's eyes turned white. "So, in a nutshell, the item is hard to find, and if you get one, there's a chance that you'll get monsterfied?"

"That's some insane risks! Plutie, you do have some guts in you!" Neptune said as she grabbed on Plutia and hugged her tightly.

Plutia smiled awkwardly. "Uh, I didn't intentionally want to… I just thought that it was my rice ball and I aaaate it…"

Neptune back away. "Whoa, that's some crazy clumsiness, I say."

Noire's fear crawled back to her. "What did I say about not reminding me?!"

She then tried to compose herself back. She's kind of losing it when it comes to Plutia's HDD and that day. Well, basically, it's the same thing.

"It is indeed risky, but there's a merit in becoming one." Noire said. "First, you can go and found your own nation."

"Eh, it's not the other way around?" Neptune asked in confusion.

Plutia seemed to have a good idea in her mind. "Oh…! It's like, which came first, the chicken or the egg, riiiiight…?"

"Y-Yeah… something like that." Neptune said awkwardly. "But… it boils down to the same thing, huh?"

"Not to interrupt your philosophical conversation and bad cooking joke, but I'm gonna continue talking." Noire said as she kept herself from being bothered by the two. "Second, you acquire divine powers, which you could use to guide and protect humanity."

"If you do a great job, the people will love you more and have more faith in you, and that will increase your powers drastically."

Neptune nodded. Plutia could just smile at Noire's lecture.

"Well, for the longest time, there was only a single CPU in existence and ruled the only nation around." Noire continued. "It's still okay for those who believes in her, but many disagrees with, and have no faith in this CPU."

"Life outside her territory is pretty hard and nerve-wracking, that's why I want to become a CPU and give those people a new nation to believe in!" Noire said as she puffed her chest out.

"Whoaaa, that's cool, Noire!" Neptune and Plutia synchronically said and clapped together.

"But then, Plutia beat me to it! And she wasn't even trying!" Noire said as she felt disappointed in herself.

"Aww… I already apologized to you a million times…" Plutia frowned.

"Now, now, no reason to cry over a spilled milk." Neptune said. "I think I get the most of it, thanks, Noire~!"

"I don't think I can bother myself with that thing. Hehe…" Neptune said.

Noire sighed again. She sighed a lot, didn't she?

"I must hurry and become a CPU. I wouldn't be able to stand it if I turn into an old hag while Plutia stays young…" Noire said.

Silence.

"…?"

Silence again.

"Wait, wait, wait! Hold your horses!" Neptune said. "Does that mean, Plutia will stay like this, while we grow old?!"

"Of course, that's how the concept of time works." Noire said.

Neptune swung her head crazily. "No, no, no, that won't stand with me! Though I'd pay a million, no, a billion credits to see an old bag Noire, but still, I don't want to find myself in her case!"

"Hey, you're going too far already!" Noire said angrily.

Neptune ignored her.

"That decides it! I'm going to be a CPU as well!" Neptune declared. "I don't want to find myself getting old while Plutia my friend stays young!"

"She ignored me?!" Noire bursts. _'And she didn't include me as a friend…'_

Plutia cheered for the two. "Yaaay! I hope the three of us get to become CPUs…!"

"So, if we find a CPU Memory, I call dibs first!" Neptune said as she pointed her finger to Noire, almost like declaring a war against her.

"Hey, who died and decided that you get to get it first?!" Noire objected.

Neptune pouted. "Of course, the Protagonist always gets prioritized! The author agrees as well!"

She doesn't stop, does she?

"You're not making any sense." Noire face palmed. "Whatever, I'm not giving my item to you!"

"Hehehe… I can't wait for the three of us to become CPUs together…!"

* * *

 **So, yeah. There's chappie one. Honestly, I wanted to continue it up to **************** (No spoilers, hehehe), but I'm not a fan of writing 10k+ words (I rarely do it, and if I do, it's gotta be the epilogue or before that).**

 **I'll try to lessen the jokes in the future. I know that my jokes are bad, kek.**

 **And, some people might've guessed it already, but I'm gonna say it anyway. I somewhat set the setting of the first game/Rebirth 1 in Ultradimension, with upcoming plot twists, of course! Stay tuned~**

 **Leave your reviews/comments/suggestions/violent reactions! It helps a lot on improving my writing :)**

 **Alright guys, that's it for me for now. See ya~!**


	2. An Inevitable Outcome

**Hello guys, Eraviel here! Time for chappie 2~ Wow, first chappie had a little impact xD I guess because I just somehow ripped it off from the game.**

 **When I wrote the first chapter of this fic, I had planned that there's going to be a Yandere here. Of course, it's not Plutia. Up until now, I haven't decided who yet.**

 **Additionally, I didn't include Histoire's emoticons, as the site doesn't let me to (I don't really want to anyways)**

 **I don't quite remember the exact events in V, it's been a long time since I played it, though I have no intentions of reproducing the whole game. I just tried to write whatever I could recall from there (I spent more than 150 hours in game, did around 2 or 3 New Game+.) as reference only.**

 **Anyways, I thank everyone who's supporting my story! You guys are the best!**

 **Onto the fic now, enjoy~**

* * *

Neptune, Noire, and Plutia arrived back at Planeptune's Basilicom. They had a rough day with them as they walked around the dungeons due to their quests. Mostly because of Noire was forcefully dragging them to do some work. Well, she got this no work, no food policy with her anyway. Not applicable to Plutia though.

"Ah, back at Plutie's room!" Neptune said as she threw herself on a cushion. "By the way, Noire. You mentioned the Chocolate Sages earlier, what's that?"

"You never listen, do you? You couldn't even remember the name properly." Noire irritatingly said and then sighed in disappointment. "Fine, I'll explain. This is for Plutia's sake as well."

"I might talk a little bit longer, so you'd want to make some snacks and tea." Noire suggested.

"Eh, can't we just scroll down until the next scene transition? Cuz I bet it's going to be boorish as hell." Neptune uninterestingly said as she gave a 'whatever' pose.

Plutia partially agreed with her. "Or we can just skip the whole scene by writing '…', or a put a 'Few minutes later' or something…?" She suggested.

Now Noire finally lost it.

"YOU WILL LISTEN TO MY DAMN LECTURE, GOT THAT?!" Noire said as she glared at the two.

"…Aye…" Both of them answered.

 ***FEW MINUTES LATER***

"So, that goes for the summary, did you get that?" Noire said. "Wait, did we just skip the whole storytelling?!"

Neptune shrugged while containing her laughter. "Like I said Noire, it's going to be boring. They probably know who the chocolate sages are." She said as she held on her tummy and kept herself from laughing. Please Neptune, stop making it obvious.

"Who the hell are these "They" people?! AND IT'S SEVEN SAGES, DAMN IT!"

Neptune didn't reply as she just whistled. She failed miserably, though.

"Yaaay… I woooon this time…!" Plutia said as she cheered. Savage as usual. Not like we can do something about it.

Noire was seriously pissed off. She really, really wanted to hit these two idiots in front of her right now, but the price was too high for her to do so. Or let's just say, she couldn't do it. She's too kind-hearted for that.

"Fine, I'm so freaking tired now…" She said and sighed in defeat as she gave up on arguing with these two and sat down.

Neptune was bewildered after hearing Noire's surrender. "Ey, Plutie! Did you hear that?! Noire gave up on us!"

Plutia came running to Noire, crying. "Noire…! Don't give up on uuuus…"

"How could I not when you two don't give a crap about what I'm saying?!" Noire said.

"Eehh, your explanation was too hard for lil' ol' us to understand!" Neptune replied back. She was just adding more oil to the fire, but what she just said was true, though. And Plutia agreed to it.

Noire popped a nerve. "I didn't even get a screentime to summarize!" She retorted.

 ***GA-THUNK***

In an instant, the door opened, and a short girl with pink, frilly dress, with blonde hair and sky blue eyes, entered the room. The three of them stared at her, as the newcomer stared at them as well. Though this girl didn't look like she was painting her emotion as a happy one.

"Found you!"

Neither of the three occupants of the room dared to reply back. Some weird girl just appeared in front of them, and said that she found whoever she was looking for.

"…"

Nobody attempted to say a word.

"ARE WE JUST GOING TO HAVE A STARING CONTEST HERE?!"

The three shook a little as this little girl just got pissed off. The reason why she got pissed was something they were trying to figure out, but inevitably failed.

"Nepu…! Who in Gamindustri is this little girl?!" Neptune said as she got surprised.

"Ack! Speaking of the little devil…" Noire disappointingly said as she rolled her eyes.

The little girl just got more infuriated. "Did I just get called little three times?!"

Oops.

"Whatever." The little girl just shrugged it off. She then stared at Neptune. Yep, at NEPTUNE. "Hmm… so you're the one, huh?"

Neptune was startled. "W-What's with this kid…?! I feel like she's undressing me with her eyes…!" She then embraced herself, hoping to ease her feeling of disgust.

Noire's eyes blinked as she witnessed the scene playing in front of her. This was something new, really. Not for some people, I bet.

"Wait… she's here for Neptune?" She asked herself in a low voice. "In that case, sorry, I am not in the mood to deal with her…" She then stepped away for a bit.

"Me neither… forgive me, Neppy…" Plutia said as she slowly crawled behind Noire.

Neptune completely panicked as she learned that her party just threw her under the bus.

"W-wait, you're seriously just going to hang me on a tree?! Come on, don't do that!" Neptune pleaded, but all hope was lost as she got ignored by Noire and Plutia.

That's so sad.

The newcomer stared at Neptune, from head to toe. And she didn't just do it once; at the very least, ten times, I think.

"Hmmm, you seem to be in your teens, but you don't have the developed proportions…" The newcomer said as she gave one last analysis on Neptune's body. "That settles it, you're a little girl!"

Neptune's eyes turned white. "That was rich coming from a girl smaller than me!"

"Did you just call me a small girl?!" The newcomer cried. "How am I small?! How am I little?!"

Neptune smirked. "If that's how you're going to put it, then you're definitely a little girl. I mean, you called me one first." She then puffed her chest out. Not like there's something to puff out, anywa—

Now, the little girl's blood boiled and it rushed up to her head. "Y-You said it again! Ugh! Twice, you said it twice! I'll never forgive you…!"

"Now she's talking gibberish…" Neptune mentally said as she looked away. "Anyways, you dare to challenge the mighty Nep to a cat fight?! Just so you know, I never lost to anyone!"

Neptune then smacked the little girl's head.

"Ow, you hit me!" The little girl cried. "I got hit by a little girl!"

Neptune kept her battle stance as she prepared for a counterattack. "Hah! You're 1000 years too early to insult me, little girl!"

"AAAHHHH, you said it again!"

The two spectators was astonished with Neptune's actions, though it looked like child abuse.

"Woah… Neppy's so stroooong…!" Plutia said.

Noire had this awkward face as she watched the displayed bullying in front of her. "…More like her opponent's just pitifully weak."

"I… I can't believe this…! It's forbidden to hurt little girls!" The newcomer said as she wiped her tears. "I'll make you pay a hundredfold for this!"

Neptune's eyes blinked twice.

"You just admitted to being a little girl." Neptune said with a poker face. "I guess it's my win."

In an instant, the little girl got flustered as she realized what she just said. She just dug her own grave, I guess.

"Ack! N-No, it's…"

But before she could say anything else, Neptune was already running her mouth with insults.

"See? You're just a little girl! A baby girl!"

Neptune just kept raining the little girl with insults, and eventually, she cried.

"W-Waaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

Noire and Plutia looked at Neptune with disdain. Obviously, the sight of a little girl crying is not something enjoyable, regardless of being good or bad.

"Aww, Neppy went overboard…" Plutia said as she pitied the little girl.

Noire just sighed. "She's so immature, even when compared to this kid."

"W-What?! You guys had this look earlier that she seemed to be a complete pain in the ass for you, so you left her to me!" Neptune complained. "Now that I fought back, I'm the bad guy?!"

Neptune got ignored.

"So, Planeptune has finally revealed its true colors!" The little girl said as she recovered. Well, ain't that a sight.

Neptune, Noire, and Plutia narrowed their eyes as they stared at the little girl. "Now she's talking nonsense." They said in unison.

"You make children work, and resort to violence when criticized!" The little girl continued talking as she ignored their comment. "What a bad display for kids!"

"I want to ask who started it." Neptune said as she glared at the blonde girl.

"Shut up! I said!" The little said as she childishly ignored Neptune. "So, if my information is correct, you're the new CPU here, right?"

"Oh…? Well-"

Before Neptune could say any flattering words for herself, Noire butted in and killed the fun.

"She's not a CPU." She said like it's a matter of fact.

"Eh?"

Neptune pouted. "Hey, Noire! Stop shooting me down without letting me explain myself!"

"I bet you'll just say random lies, you narcissist creep, so no thanks."

"You're so cruel!"

But Plutia agreed to Noire. "But yes… Noire's right. Neppy's not a CPU…"

"W-What?" The little girl was suddenly confused. It seems like she didn't see that coming.

Neptune gave up. "Aww, not you too, Plutie. It's like you just told a little girl that Santa doesn't exist."

The little girl's head was spinning. The revelation she just received was too much for her mind to process.

"Y-You're not a CPU…? Then, how in the world I lost?!"

The three girls stared at the little girl. She's seriously asking that now? It was clear as the day as to why she lost to Neptune.

"Because you're weak." Noire nonchalantly said.

"Maaaaybe because you're weak…" Plutia agreed.

"Weaker than a Level 1 Dogoo!" Neptune said and stuck her tongue out. That's pretty savage, honestly speaking.

There was a silence for a few minutes before the little girl spoke up again.

"Y-You! What's your name?!" She directed her question at Neptune.

Neptune raised an eyebrow. "It's Neptune."

"Neptune…" The little girl cringed a little after saying Neptune's name. "I will never forget that name!"

The little girl was about to stomp out of the room, but she got stopped by Neptune by grabbing her arm.

"Hold your horses, it's rude to ask for a name without giving yours." Neptune said.

The little girl smirked. Seems like she just saw herself as the dominating one this time. Not like Neptune gave a crap, though.

"Hmph, fine. I'll tell you my name. Be sure to engrave it in your mind!"

Before introducing herself, she made herself as the center of attraction first, and proudly spoke with great confidence.

"I am the Seven Sages' idol and public relation's officer, ABNES!"

 ***DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNN***

"Hey, what the heck's with that SFX?!" Neptune complained to nobody. Well, what to say about that… Nothing, there's nothing to say about that matter. Nothing at all. Nothing…

Abnes grinned evilly before continuing. "I can't wait to expose this in severe detail at the next Seven Sages' meeting…!" She then stomped out of the room, leaving the three girls dumbfounded.

"And there she goes." Neptune said and sighed in relief. "That sure was a pain in the neck, I could hardly swing my head right now."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Noire said. This was the first time she agreed with Neptune. I think? "You don't know how painful it is to repeatedly deal with her every time she makes a ruckus here." Just remembering the past encounters they had with Abnes gave Noire a heavy migraine. Anyone dealing with that kind of thing would.

Neptune looked away from Noire with an awkward expression. "I don't think I would be able to live long with that." She said and chuckled nervously. "So, are the Seven Sages' really that pushy?"

"If we assume that they're all like that little girl, yeah. But we hardly have any information about the others." Noire problematically said as she sighed.

Plutia gave Neptune a hug. "It's so good that you're here, Neppy. That girl makes a scene and teases me every time she comes here…"

"Morons can't handle complex talks, so then there's violence." Noire sneered at Neptune. "Every tool has its own uses, I guess."

Neptune cracked an irritated smile. "Did I just hear a very offending compliment there, Noire?"

"Nope, not a single word." Noire shrugged. "We're counting on you again the next time she comes here, Neptune~"

"We're counting on you, Neppy…!"

Neptune made an awkward smile. "…While it's a good thing to be relied on, I don't think I would be able to keep my footing..."

 **~o~O~o~**

The next day, Noire, Neptune, and Plutia could be seen dropping by Planeptune's Basilicom. Well, it's weird to include Plutia in that one, wasn't it? She's the CPU of Planeptune, for Gamindustri's sake.

They seemed to be tired, except for Noire, at the very least. They just went out to do a couple of quests (More like a single quest or something, pretty much), and they just finished it. Neptune and Plutia were crying to Noire about how tired they were, making Noire only disappointed with the two of them. Not like there's anything to argue about, since Noire has a fit physique, so she's built up for this tasks.

Try as hard as they cry to Noire, she wouldn't pity them.

"You're too harsh, Noire!"

Noire just narrowed her eyes as she stared at Neptune. Having two lazybones with her is almost like an additional one thousand pounds of weight towards her objective. In any case, she shouldn't even be doing quests in the first place! Unless she has financial issues, that is.

But in reality, that's not a problem. The problem was how to get Neptune and Plutia to be motivated. They even had less motivation today than yesterday.

"Only those people who are pushed to work hard off to their limits are guaranteed with success!"

There goes her lecture again. Yep, she went off giving the two of them a looooong (short) lecture that lasted for about less than ten minutes, when someone knocked on the door.

"Plutia, Plutia! Please open the door!"

In an instant, Plutia's eyes sparkled and reached for the door, much for Noire's dismay for getting her lecture interrupted again.

"Welcome home, Histoire…!"

Plutia greeted the person… uhm, okay, let's just settle for that one, as she opened the door. The said person was a tiny girl, sitting on a flying book, wearing a small, purple frilly dress (she's tiny, duh!). She had a light blonde hair and a purple headband as well, with a paper bag or something on her hands that seemed to be a little heavy for her to carry.

In a nutshell, she's like a fairy, without wings.

"Whew! I made it back at long last!"

Neptune could only stare and gape at the tiny figure who just floated towards Plutia. Her expression was nothing other than aroused, not in a lewd way, of course. Her eyes sparkled, as she tried to save the image of the cute little thing in her Brain Disk Drive (BDD), much to Noire's discontent (she knew what Neptune was up to).

"Took you so long, Histoire. Where were youuu off to…?"

Histoire took a deep breath as Plutia took her baggage off from her. "I just went shopping around the city, but I couldn't find some items that I needed that I had to go to the market just outside of Planeptune."

"That's roughly two hours of walk, at max." Noire interjected.

She's flying, for Planeptune's sake. And even Histoire's maximum flying speed could be less than the speed of a jogging person. Noire thought that it's because of Histoire's small figure and her specs, but she decided not to speak it out loud for her own safety. The small girl had a complex about her specs, after all.

"Well, there was a huge bargain of triple A batteries when bought in bulk. Thanks to that, carrying them all the way back is painful." Histoire said as she sighed.

"That it took you more than three days to come back." Noire added.

"Unfortunately, yes."

It was the time Histoire took notice of Neptune, who was still staring at her with sparkling eyes while giggling on her place, much to the bad vibes she was getting from her.

"Hmm? I see an unfamiliar face. Who is she?" Histoire said as she pointed at Neptune.

"She's Neppy…! A new friend of ours…!" Plutia said.

Histoire floated towards Neptune before introducing herself. "Hello. I am Histoire, the one who guides this nation. It's nice to meet you."

With that said, Neptune completely blew herself off. This tiny thing's cuteness was too much for her to handle that she couldn't keep herself from grabbing and embracing this little creature. Scratch it, she was embracing her tightly now, much to Histoire's confusion and discomfort.

"S-S-S-So c-c-cute! What is this tiny bite-sized adorable creature here?!" Neptune couldn't keep herself from shaking wildly while holding the poor Histoire, who seemed to be almost losing consciousness. "From now on, I'll call you Histy!"

Plutia seemed to like that name as she giggled. "Ohhhh, that's a cuuuute nickname…! I'll start calling her Histy too from now on…!"

Noire sighed.

"H-Help, y-you two…! I c-can't b-breathe…!" Histoire said between her choked breaths. Oh my Goddess, she's turning purple, aside from her clothes being purple, of course.

"Well of course you won't be able to breathe like… DAMN, NEPTUNE, LET GO OF HER!" Noire said as she instantly grabbed Neptune and released Histoire from her clutches.

Histoire finally got a breath. She just escaped a situation that could take her life away; from being crushed by Neptune's hands, specifically.

"That's some crazy ordeal… Are you going around grabbing anyone you just met and squeezing them with all your strength…?" Histoire asked.

Neptune apologized as she was rubbing the back of her head. In all honesty, Neptune was still keeping her urge to jump on Histy- Histoire. "Hehe, sorry about that…! I just couldn't help myself as you're just too cute not to be hugged, that's all!"

"So, if Neptune had a cute little pet or something, she'd definitely end up killing it accidentally." Noire remarked, though no one paid attention to her, much to her disbelief.

Histoire coughed. "So, Neptune, was it?" She asked. "What brings you here in Planeptune's Basilicom?"

Neptune scratched her cheek. "Well, about that…"

Neptune relayed everything to Histoire. From her falling from the sky, then landing on Noire (she didn't have to tell her about that! It was the one thing that Noire thought.), and not remembering a single thing. Everything that she could remember after arriving to Planeptune was told by her, including her plans of becoming a CPU as well. Histoire didn't try to think much about it, but there's something odd from Neptune. Sure, Neptune wasn't lying, definitely, but she couldn't shake off the weird feeling that she's getting from her as she stared at the purple-haired girl.

She could see darkness and emptiness from her eyes.

"Hmmhmm…" Histoire nodded after Neptune's storytelling. "As much as I wanted to help you recover your memories, unfortunately, I can't."

Neptune expected that. She wasn't in a hurry on recovering her memories, after all.

"But…"

With that, Neptune turned back to Histoire. The small book fairy had a serious facial expression, which unnerved the short, purple-haired girl.

"You said that you want to become a CPU, no?" Histoire asked.

Neptune nodded.

"Then, you might, not one hundred percent, recover your memories after you become one." Histoire said. "But you do know the risks when you use a CPU memory, right?"

Neptune nodded again. She might be confident about becoming a CPU, but she couldn't shake off a weird feeling from deep inside her chest. It's a great confliction that she couldn't identify what she's conflicted about.

She discarded those thoughts. For now.

 **~o~O~o~**

The next day, the trio found themselves back in Plutia's room. It's still noon, and the sun's still up (Well, of course, unless it's a rainy day).

"That goes for today's agenda." Noire said as she sat down for a bit.

"Gooood work everyone…!"

Neptune placed her hands on her waist and puffed her chest out. "Well, that's expected! With the mighty Nep Nep on your side, there's no work that would be left undone!" She bragged.

Noire shot a glare on Neptune. "You were in the way the whole time, if you didn't know." She remarked, only to be ignored by Neptune as she started to play with Plutia. While it was a good thing that Neptune wasn't bothering her, she couldn't sit still with being ignored. Anyone would.

Well, she asked for it.

"Okay, I guess it's time for me to get going now." Noire said as she stood up and left the room, not waiting for any response from the two.

Neptune and Plutia could only stare at the door where Noire took her exit, then they looked at each other, telepathically asking the same thing.

"Where could she be going?" Neptune asked.

"Ah, she is going to look for a CPU Memory…" Plutia said. "She said that there's always a possibility even if it respawns once every couple of centuries, so sheee's doing it every day."

Neptune was surprised, only to gape at Plutia after hearing her explanation. "Wow! Talk about a diligent gir-"

It was the time when she just realized what Noire was actually doing.

"Wait, if she finds it first, then she'll become a CPU before me!" Neptune panicked. Is that really something to get worked up? To Neptune, yeah, of course. "Come on, Plutie, let's follow her!"

"Eeehhhh, we'd just get in her way if we do…" Plutia said.

"Then I'll go by myself!" Neptune said and exited Plutia's room.

"Aahh, Neppy, waaait for meee…!"

 **~o~O~o~**

After asking a few people, Neptune and Plutia found themselves in Zeca Ruins. Judging from the structure of the place, the chances of getting a CPU Memory here were really high. The place looks very ancient, like it was way back thousands of years ago.

"Wow, this place looks alien!" Neptune said, astonished with the place.

Plutia chuckled a little. "Rumors say that this place is already here before the CPU Memories existed."

Neptune's eyes sparkled. "You gotta tell me about that story later, but first, we need to find Noire."

Plutia nodded. They walked quite a few miles already from the Basilicom, but Noire was still nowhere to be found. And of course, this place was inhabited by monsters, but it was nothing Neptune and Plutia couldn't handle.

As they went further deep inside the ruins, they found Noire, with her undivided attention on examining a wall.

"Noire…!"

Neptune and Plutia immediately rushed towards Noire, only to startle the concentrating girl.

"Kyah! Neptune? Plutia?!" Noire said and then sighed in relief. She almost thought that she was attacked by monsters. Really now? "What are you doing here?"

"Weeeell, Neppy ran off, so I thought I'd do the same as well…" Plutia said.

Neptune grinned. "Didn't I tell you that I get to call dibs first? You're a million years too early to outplay me, Noire!"

Noire sighed. She only gets to talk to Neptune about things that doesn't need to be talked about, huh? Not like she has a problem with it, anyway. In fact, Noire was the one who ignored Neptune today. Talk about payback.

"I don't mind you girls coming with me, but Plutia walks too slow… and gets lost most of the time…" Noire said as she directed her attention to Plutia, who was brimming with confidence now. Doesn't sit right with Noire, though. It doesn't suit Plutia.

"I promise to walk suuuuuuper fast today…!"

Neptune grinned evilly. "Ignoring my speech huh? If that's how it's going to be, then I'll head on first!" Neptune said with great confidence.

"Oh, okay. Good luck." Noire replied.

"Take caaaaaaaare…!" Plutia said as she waved.

Neptune didn't expect that reply though. "H-Huh? You won't stop me? I'm the type of a giddy-good goer when serious, you know!"

Noire smirked. "Yeah, sure. Assuming that you know where to look." She said as she looked at Neptune with sarcastic face and tone. Let's hereby declare Noire as the queen of sarcasm.

"Ah." Neptune froze. Dayum son.

"Let's do this nice and slow, since Plutia's here, and the sun's still up." Noire said.

Plutia jumped out in cheer. "Yaaay, it'll be like a daaate!"

"I-idiot! Don't say such misleading things!" Noire interjected with her cheeks painted with red. She could feel her face heating up. Damn, Plutia's good with words. Though, that statement might get a contradiction later.

Neptune couldn't take it. She's gonna get left behind!(Well, she's trying to get ahead of them though.)

"H-Hey? How about we stick together like we buddies always do? It's pretty rude for one member of a party to get ahead of everyone… right?" Neptune said nervously.

"With great contradiction." Noire said, containing her laughter inside her as she smirked devilishly at Neptune.

Neptune then bowed and pleaded to the two of them. "Awww! I'm reaaaaaaaally sorry! I admit that I was wrong! Please take me with you!"

"Of course…! Leeet's be best buddies again, okaaay…?" Plutia said.

Noire sighed in relief. She didn't know why she just did that, but it didn't bother her that much.

"Good grief, everything went chaotic after you appeared here."

 **~o~O~o~**

"Hey, hey, are we there yet?" Neptune asked. She could feel her feet heating up from that long walk they just did.

"Calm down. Just a little bit farther." Noire said.

Plutia looked around, observing the surroundings. She could sense something odd from this place ever since they set foot here an hour ago.

"Oh? It's rare for you to think so deep, Plutia. What's going on?" Noire asked. Plutia was thinking so hard, so it gave Noire an idea that something was indeed going on.

"Uhm, were this place always had so many monsters…?" Plutia asked.

Noire was dead right on. In fact, she was thinking about the same thing. "Good observation. The numbers were increasing drastically, ever since you've become a CPU."

"Well, we won't be able to have a picnic with these many monsters around…" Plutia said dejectedly.

She's thinking about picnic now?

"No worries, they're so weak that I myself can handle it alone." Noire said.

Neptune couldn't take it anymore. Her feet was already burning that she could've wished that she just flew all the time.

"Heeey, are we there now? Now?" Neptune asked.

Noire popped a nerve. "GAAH! You're getting on my nerves! I said it's a little bit farther! Look, you could see it from here!" She said as she pointed far ahead of them.

"Ohh, that's the finish line! Time to activate my nitro motor and get my loots! See you around!" Neptune completely forgot her burning feet and dashed to their destination.

"Hey, stop!" Noire then followed the dashing Neptune.

After a short while of running, Noire found herself bumping onto Neptune.

"Ouchie! Come on, don't ram into me like that!" Neptune cried.

Noire popped another nerve. You could bet that she popped everything. "AGH! You're the one who ran at full speed and made a full stop! What in the freaking world happened?!"

She completely lost it.

"Lookit there, people. There are people." Neptune said as she pointed down below.

Noire then stepped beside Neptune and checked what she was pointing to. "Really? Who would go all the way down here aside from us…?"

Down below, there were two people… uh, a person and a rat, to be precise, having a conversation with each other. Doesn't look like they're friendly, though.

"An old woman and a rat? What a comedy team." Neptune remarked.

"You know them?" Noire asked.

"I could ask the same thing." Neptune replied.

Noire sighed. "I regret aski- huh…? They're holding the…?!" Noire freaked out as she stared that the object being held by the tag team down below.

 ***huff huff***

"Haah, I finally caught up…! Don't leave me behind like that…!" Plutia said as she caught her breathing. She then noticed that Noire and Neptune were staring down below the platform. "Wooow! A rat! It's so adorable!"

Noire didn't seem to be wearing a pleasant face right now. In fact, she was agitated. "Damn, I won't let them take it!" She then rushed down below without a second thought.

"Huh, Noire?! Stop, wait!" Neptune gave a chase. She's got a bad feeling when Noire just rushes down on her own without thinking of a plan.

As Noire got close to the comedy team, as Neptune described, she wasted no time and approached them with hostility.

"Hey, you!"

Neptune was catching up with Noire. "Hey, Noire, I said wait!"

"Huh?"

"Who the hell are you two?"

The tag team asked as they saw Noire and Neptune arrive on scene. Doesn't look like they were pleased to bump into someone in this place.

"That doesn't concern you! Give me what you're holding, now!" Noire said impatiently.

"Noire, chill the fox out. What's up?" Neptune asked.

Noire pointed at the thing that the woman was holding. "They have two CPU Memories with them."

Neptune chuckled. "Well, okay… WHAT?!" She then freaked out as the 'CPU Memories' finally sank in her ears. That was some late reaction, really. She then directed her attention to where Noire was pointing at, and saw two unfamiliar objects on the woman's hands. She didn't know what the CPU Memory looks like, but she was one hundred and fifty percent sure that it's a CPU Memory.

"I don't know what's going on, but I assume that you're also after these, chu." The rat said.

Noire's patience was running out each second passes by. "I'll say this one last time. Hand them over peacefully, now."

"Noire, that's something a villain would totally say…" Neptune sweat dropped. She better not step into Noire's villain tendencies, she reminded herself.

"What a bunch of noisy kids." The lady said with disbelief. "Wait… Are you… Neptune?" She said as she took a closer look at Neptune.

Neptune was surprised and bewildered at the same time. "Huh? How did you know my name?"

"Why… even though I haven't met you before." The lady gritted her teeth as she spoke. "You're the one person that I hate the most in the whole Gamindustri!"

Neptune got nervous all of a sudden. Who wouldn't? There, someone you've never met just told you that they hate your guts in all of the world. Pretty rude, right?

"How do I react to that?!" Neptune said.

The lady then composed herself back. "Rat. Take these and go ahead, I'll deal with these brats."

"Huh? You okay with that, chu?"

Noire could feel her anger rising up. "You'll fight us alone?! Seems like we're being underestimated."

The lady grinned evilly. "Of course, you should be honoured, that I, Arfoire of the Seven Sages, will lead you to your graves!"

 ***DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNN***

"What did you say?!" Noire couldn't believe what she just heard. Afterwards, she felt like they're in some deep trouble.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH! That SFX again!" Neptune cried out. Looks like she doesn't care a bit. "Seven Sages?! She just said Seven Sages, right?!"

The rat didn't seem to be pleased with her companion's actions. "You just declared your flag of defeat, old lady." The rat said and sighed. "Whatever, I couldn't care less if this world had less one old hag, so bye!" Then it ran off.

"Wait, leave those here!" Noire said as she tried to give a chase, only to be blocked by Arfoire.

"Where do you think you're going? I'm your opponent here." Arfoire said. "Don't worry, I'll deal with you later after I kill Neptune."

Noire didn't like it. "So I'm just a dessert, huh? Someone's really underestimating me." She said and prepared her sword. "I'll make you eat those words, so be prepared!"

"Of course, I will take up on that offer!" Arfoire said and then light covered her whole body.

Neptune had several thoughts of what's going to happen next, only to settle on the wrong one. Well, this was Neptune we're talking about! "What's with this old lady? Is she turning into a dragon or something?! Doesn't blend on my taste though." She said nervously.

In an instant, the light dissipated, revealing something that was completely inhuman. Arfoire transformed into something else, something indescribable by mere words.

"Now, burn my image into your souls as you die!"

 **~o~O~o~**

"Mister Rat, waaaaaaait…!"

Plutia could be seen running on the ruin's corridors as she was giving a chase to the rat who was carrying the two CPU Memories.

"W-Who's there?!" The rat then stopped.

After a short while, Plutia caught up with the rat and tried to catch her breathing. "Whew, I finally caught up…" She said and sighed in relief. "Woooow, you're even cuter close up…!"

"Me… cute…?" The rat said. "You got good visions, kid, but I'm not a rat! You may call me, Warechu!"

Plutia then frowned. Obviously, she didn't like that name. "Wah-re-chew? Yuck, it's not cute at aaaaall…"

Only to leave the rat speechless. She just blew the rat's whole world, after all. Talk about being honestly savage; that's our Plutia.

"A-Anyways! I've got no time for you, so I'm gonna scram!" Warechu said and ran away, leaving Plutia.

But Plutia didn't give up. "Ah, wait, Mister Raaaat…!" She then gave chase.

After a while of chasing, Warechu gave up. It looks like he, err, let's settle with that one, won't be able to shake Plutia away.

"You're so annoying, I told you I'm busy!" Warechu said.

But this time, Plutia had an objective. "Uhm, those things you're holding… ummmmmmm, what do you call them again…?"

"They're… uhhh, the things that… Noire and Neppy… really wanted… right…?" Plutia said.

Warechu just sighed in disbelief. "How should I know?" He asked. "Anyways, those two people you mentioned, they're the ones that you left behind, right?"

Plutia just wore her usual smile. You know she's up to something when she smiles like that. "Yesss, and they really wanted those things… so gimme please…?" She asked as she pointed at the CPU Memories.

"Do I look stupid that I'd just hand them over to you?" Warechu said.

"Aww, don't be so stingy…" Plutia said.

Warechu sighed again. "Anyways, those two you mentioned might be dead right now…"

"Huh…? Something happened to Noire and Neppy…?" Plutia's expression changed into something that couldn't be explained by human language. Not in a weird way, of course.

"I didn't do it. That old bag doesn't know when to hold back, so I'm sorry that they got caught up in her menopausal antics, but hey, just deal with it and go home." Warechu said.

Plutia chuckled psychotically. "Hehehe… if something happened to them, I might reaaaaaally get angry…" She said as she grinned. "In any way… it's okay to get angry noooow, riiiight…?!"

With that said, the whole place was covered with light.

 **~o~O~o~**

Back to Noire and Neptune, they could be seen on the ground, with their enemy right in front of them, completely unfazed and unscathed. It was too much for them to handle, after all. They're not as strong as Plutia who was a CPU.

"Ugh… Is this… the end…?" Noire asked herself as she tried to stand up, but to no avail.

Neptune grumbled as she crawled to get her sword back. "This is completely cheating! Who would write a story where the protagonist dies off in the first boss battle?!"

Well, no comment.

Arfoire transformed back to her original form. "So weak, pathetically weak! Why did I even bother getting worked up with this nonsense?!" She asked as she kicked Neptune on the gut.

"Argh…!" Neptune grunted in pain as she got sent flying to the wall. "Kuah…!"

Noire could only stare at Neptune's beaten figure. Even though they fight a lot, she didn't like the idea of seeing Neptune hurt, much like Plutia as well.

"It's… all over for me…? No…!" Noire tried to hold back her tears from falling, realizing how powerless and weak she was. "If… If only I were a CPU… I wouldn't have lost…!"

' _And I could've protected Neptune…!'_

"Now it's time for you to die!" Arfoire said as she attempted to deal the killing move to the both of them.

When suddenly…

 ***KACHING***

Arfoire's attack was parried.

"Who dares to get in my way?!" Arfoire asked as she looked around, looking for the perpetrator.

Up above, there's was a woman with a booming figure, with glowing violet eyes and dark purple hair, floating in mid-air. She seemed to be holding on to something; and it was the rat from earlier who just made his escape.

"Ara, ara… What a sight…" The woman who just arrived said as she licked her lips. "Pretty young'uns getting beat up by an ugly old hag… is pretty rare."

Arfoire raised an eyebrow as she stared at the floating woman. "Who the hell are you?"

Neptune could only stare at the woman as Noire could do the same as well. Neptune hadn't had the slightest idea about who this person was, but Noire completely recognized her. She was the source of her greatest fears, after all.

"W-W-Why did you t-t-transform, Plutia?!" Noire shouted out loud. She couldn't believe it, that her fear was in front of her already.

Neptune managed to recover her voice. "H-Huh…?! Transformed?! Plutie?!" She said particularly to nobody. "T-T-That's Plutie?! The dominating woman is Plutie?!"

The so-called Plutia just chuckled at them. The scene playing in front of her was certainly entertaining, to herself only.

"My, is that how you greet me, Noire…? I even transformed just to save the two of you…" Plutia said. Her words delivered an intense unsettling feeling that even Neptune could feel the shivers from her spine, the same feeling that she felt when Plutia (human form) got mad for the first time, but on a higher degree. "Poor little Noire. You've got big dreams, but with little power to destroy anything in your way…"

Noire wasn't amused. "You didn't have to put it that way." She could feel her tears forming in her eyes.

"My, how cute…! Crying in such little tears…" Plutia said as she flew down in front of Noire. "If you keep that up, I don't think I could hold myself in from tormenting you…" She then blew on Noire's ears, tickling the immobilized poor girl. Noire felt an electrifying feeling that ran throughout of her entire being after Plutia's outrageous actions, which was very clear to Plutia herself.

"Or… is it what you really wanted…?"

Noire strongly objected. "Not in a million years!" She could totally feel discomfort when Plutia's like this.

They totally forgot that they have an enemy to beat.

"You… are you Planeptune's CPU?" Arfoire asked.

Plutia grinned. "Ding ding ding. Correct. I'm CPU Iris Heart. Even an imbecile like you could recognize me, huh?"

"You talk big." Arfoire said with disdain. "As for that thing you're holding…"

"Ah, this?" Iris Heart said as she revealed what she's holding on her right hand. "Yes, it's your rat friend."

Arfoire clicked her tongue. "So that thing didn't even stand a chance against you."

Iris Heart shook her head. "I don't care a single bit…" She said and then turned to Noire and Neptune. "As for you two, do you recognize what I'm holding…?" She said as she waved her left hand.

In an instant, Neptune and Noire was alarmed. They recognize the objects completely. Those were the CPU Memories that the rat just had!

Iris Heart turned to Arfoire for a bit and spoke, "We're going to have our little girl chat for now, and so will you kindly lend us your silence for a bit?" She then turned back to Neptune and Noire, not expecting a response from Arfoire. Not like she cared one bit even if she interfered, as she could just send her flying, but this was entertaining on its own way.

"You want these, right?" Iris Heart asked Neptune and Noire. The two poor girls could definitely see through Iris Heart's intentions, but if they don't dance on her palm, they won't be able to get the CPU Memories from her.

And so, they sucked it up.

"O-Of course we do!" Noire said.

"Yeah, gimme please!" Neptune pleaded.

Iris Heart smiled evilly. She liked where this was going. "If you want me to give these to you, what will you give me in exchange?" She asked.

They totally saw it coming. With that kind of personality, it couldn't be too far off from this scene.

"Urgh…" Noire could've wished that it was Plutia herself was the one who had the CPU Memories.

But, aren't they the same person?

"W-What would you want from us… Plutie… or let's call her… Sadie? Oh! Is my body that you're after?! Nu-uh-uh, it's off-limits!" Neptune tried to crack a joke just to escape this predicament they didn't want to be in.

But, Noire could only stare at Neptune in horror.

"B-But if it's you, I think it's okay…"

Now, Noire' couldn't be more scared. Neptune was digging up her own grave, and digging Noire's grave much deeper!

"I-Idiot! She would take everything seriously when she's like that! Jokes are ineffective to her!" Noire said.

It was Noire's words that made Neptune regret what she just said earlier.

"Oh…? Neppy's body…? Hahahahaha!" Iris Heart laughed out as she couldn't believe what Neptune was offering her for dinner. "Not bad, little one!"

Now, Neptune seriously regretted it ten times. "Uh, I shouldn't have said that…" She whispered to herself. "A-Actually, Sadie…"

Iris Heart shot a glare at Neptune with a grin. "You wouldn't take back what you've said now, right Neppy?"

Shiver her timbers! Neptune couldn't feel her spine anymore.

"B-Be gentle, okay?" was all she could say as she knew she was screwed whether she would go left or right.

Iris Heart just smirked at Neptune. She's going to enjoy this. "How about you, Noire…? Will you not offer me something greater?"

Noire gaped in horror. Something greater than her body?

"A-Are you insane…?! What else could I offer that is something greater than my body?!" Noire asked.

' _You've raised the damn bar too high, Neptune!'_ She then shot a glare at Neptune.

Neptune could only look away from her as she knew what Noire was implying. She didn't have a choice though.

"So… Noire doesn't want her item…" Iris Heart frowned. But it's not like she gave up on Noire, in fact, she's stimulating her. "I guess I'll just have to throw this away or destroy it…"

That alarmed Noire. "W-W-Wait…! Okay… please, just wait…!"

"Oh? Did you say something that I wouldn't want to hear…?" Iris Heart asked.

Noire couldn't feel any better. This was all Neptune's fault!

She raised the white flag and swallowed her pride. This was for the sake of acquiring her precious CPU Memory. For the sake of her dreams. For the sake of the people she wanted to give a new home, a new start.

"F-Fine… You can… ask me…" She said as she could feel her tears forming in her eyes again.

Iris Heart smiled. "I caaaan't hear you…"

"You… You can ask me any ONE thing and I'll do it for you…!" Noire drank up all of her pride.

Silence.

…

"Hmmmhmmm… Hahahahahahaha!" Iris Heart burst into laughter. "Marvelous, Noire! What a tempting offer!"

Neptune could only gape at Noire. "Whoa, that's so bold, Noire!"

Noire felt like crying now. Too much crazy stuff to handle in less than half a day.

"You've done well, Noire, Neppy." Iris Heart said and offered them the CPU Memories that they wanted. "Here's your reward."

Noire and Neptune gladly accepted the offer. Well, it was worth the trouble, in the end.

"With this… Finally… I can…" Noire said as she stared at the CPU Memory on her hands. She could finally become a CPU! Her dream was already on her hands.

But there was still one slight problem.

"I'm sorry for the wait." Iris Heart then turned to Arfoire, who was patiently staring at them. "You're such a good-bad enemy that you've waited for us in silence."

That didn't make sense.

Arfoire just clicked her tongue. "Whatever. Aren't those two your friends? You do know what would happen if they lack the qualities befitting a CPU, right?"

That was the one slight problem.

"Ah…" Noire froze as she heard those words. Even though she's confident, that confidence alone isn't what makes someone eligible to become a CPU. There's still a chance that she might lack a certain quality and turn into something that she wouldn't hope to become.

' _If I lack a quality befitting a CPU, I'll turn into a monster…'_ Noire worryingly thought to herself.

But that worry instantly got washed away when a certain someone was brave enough to do it.

"Whatevs! Here goes! Neptune goes first!" Neptune attempted activated the CPU Memory, only to be stopped by Noire.

"H-Hey, wait! Don't you have second thoughts with this?!" Noire asked, expecting a proper reply from Neptune.

But this was Neptune we're talking about.

"Nope! Then, I'm going first, Noire!" Neptune then activated the CPU Memory.

"I said wait! I'm going to be a CPU first before you!" Noire said and activated her own CPU Memory.

In an instant, the place was filled with blinding light.

"W-What… the items are reacting?!" Arfoire couldn't believe it as she covered her eyes from the light.

Iris Heart just smirked at the scene playing in front of her. In all honesty, she knew that Noire and Neptune could do it. She believed in them.

As the light disappeared, there showed two persons floating in mid-air. One clad in black and purple suit, with her hair tied in twin-braid style, and two black and blue hairpins attached on her hair. She had blue eyes, with a katana on her hands. The other one was wearing a gray suit, with her white hair tied in twin-tail style. She had sky-blue eyes, with a giant sword on her hands.

"Ah… it's been too long since I've been on this form, though I feel slightly different…" The woman clad in dark purple said as she observed herself.

Iris Heart somehow caught the purplette's words, but she didn't give much thought about it as she might've been hearing things.

"I did it… I've become a CPU…!" The other one said in a low voice. "Ahahahaha! Of course, this is me we're talking about!"

"Mhm… you two look astonishing." Iris Heart said as she stared at her two friends, who were in their HDD forms now. "Now then, it's time to do some after-party, right…?" She then turned to Arfoire.

"Don't get cocky…! They're nothing more than a newly-hatched chicks!" Arfoire then transformed again.

Iris Heart then licked her lips as she prepared her whip. "Oh, I forgot to say this…"

"Don't think of one second that I will show mercy on you!"

 **~o~O~o~**

"Gaaaahhh!"

After a short battle, yep, short. Three CPUs vs one whatever form she was, was certainly an unfair fight. Arfoire was defeated, with Neptune, Noire, and Plutia teaming up against her.

It was a situation that Neptune, in her HDD form, Purple Heart, could barely remember. She could feel her head in pain as she tried to recall further, which made her cringe as she rubbed her temples. Vague memories had started to enter her mind, and the pain it gave was getting more and more intense. Iris Heart noticed Purple Heart's distress, but she decided to ignore it for now as they had something to take care first.

Iris Heart then turned to Arfoire. "What…? Done already…?" Iris Heart asked as she licked her lips.

Arfoire gritted her teeth. The fight was indeed unfair.

"Ngh, I won't forget this…!" Arfoire then flew away from the area, leaving the three CPUs. Noire, in her HDD form, Black Heart, just laughed at how pathetic Arfoire fled the battlefield, through her eyes.

Iris Heart then turned back to Purple Heart, who seemed to be in more pain than she was few moments ago. She wanted to ask her if she's okay, but there's something that Iris Heart was curious about. Something about Purple Heart that she wanted to know.

As Black Heart was in front of Purple Heart, she didn't know what was happening to the Purple Goddess as she just kept on rambling about how a sore loser Arfoire was.

"Well, I guess that wraps it up." Black Heart said as she lowered her giant sword. "Come on, you two let's-"

She instinctively interrupted herself due to utter shock as she saw Purple Heart behind her. Black Heart was frozen in place, unable to process what was happening.

Purple Heart was about to cut Black Heart's head off, and the purple goddess' katana was just about a few inches away from the goddess of black's neck.

* * *

 **Okay, there we go! Chapter 2!**

 **The story's event will start to deviate now. This is the turning point of the fic. This is where the genre will start to kick in.**

 **The third chapter might not come any sooner, but I'm trying my best to finish it fast.**

 **I'm not so fond of tragedy (Angel mind: REALLY NOW, YOU JUST KILLED NEPTUNE FROM YOUR OTHER FIC). Oops, that's a complete lie. Anyways, what I'm saying is, there's a probably of having a tragedy genre at the later part of the story (Most likely around the epilogue, so I'll be keeping the genre there). Unless you guys are soooo in love with the conquest ending, I can do that :)**

 **Please drop your opinions in the reviews! It helps me improve my writing. ^_^ Pretty please? :3**

 **Until next time, see ya guys~**


	3. An Inevitable Revelation

**Hello guys! Time for chapter 3!**

 **I believe I said in my previous chapter that the story will deviate now. Which is yes, cuz that's how as far as I could remember the events in V.**

 **To avoid any major spoilers, I will answer only questions that will not spoil anything. Means that if your question wasn't answered by me, it contains spoilers in the future chappies.**

 **To Author Heart – Ance: No, there's no Console War in Ultradimension. And yes, there would be two hearts each dimension, except Nep and Plutia, if that's what you're asking :)**

 **Thank you for your supports guys! I love you!**

 **This chapter might be tad short. I can't do anything about it since the next chapter will have a very, very long timeskip. Around ten years or so. I needed Lastation to be established for the next events to occur.**

 **Onto the story now, enjoy!**

* * *

Purple Heart was about to cut Black Heart's head off, and her katana was just about a few inches away from the goddess of black's neck. Iris Heart bore witness to everything and was just looking at them, not bothering herself on helping Noire, nor stopping the fight.

In an instant, Black Heart snapped back and barely dodged Purple Heart's attack by bending her body backwards. She then backed away immediately, keeping a large distance between her and Purple Heart.

"Neptune, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Black Heart asked as she recovered, but the events were too fast that she didn't even realize that Purple Heart was already in front of her, attempting another attack.

' _She's too fast!'_ Black Heart thought to herself as she barely evaded the incoming attack by dashing to the side. She didn't know why Neptune was attacking her suddenly, less likely had the means of knowing it because she couldn't even compose herself as if Neptune knew how she would act.

"Kuh…!" Black Heart kept on evading Purple Heart's attack. It was almost like Neptune was already used to fighting, as a CPU. That thought crossed Noire's mind but she knew to herself that it was impossible, as Neptune just became a CPU like her few minutes ago.

She couldn't have been more wrong than she thought she wasn't.

"Plutia…! Help me out here!" Black Heart called to Iris Heart, who was just staring at the one-sided brawl. She heard Noire's call but she didn't pay heed to her as Plutia's attention was solely directed to Neptune.

"Damn it all…!" Black Heart cursed as she instantly dashed backwards, only to be followed by Purple Heart and instantly closed the gap between them again. Noire tried to get a sight of Neptune, but she couldn't see her expression as her eyes were hidden under her hair. "If it's a fight you're looking for, then you're on!"

Noire then stepped back a bit and charged to Purple Heart. She attempted to slice the purple goddess into two, only for her sword to be blocked by Purple Heart's katana effortlessly, much to Noire's surprise. Neptune then sighed.

"…!"

Noire was alarmed. She felt an imminent danger from Neptune. Her guts told her to stay away from her, in which she did, and much to her surprise, Neptune didn't chase her.

This gave Noire a breathing room. It took her everything just to evade Neptune's attacks.

"What the hell is your problem, Neptune?!" Noire asked once more.

Purple Heart then lowered her sword, and then pointed it to Black Heart. She then raised her head, directly glaring at the goddess of black. Noire could see complete dread, hatred, and murderous intent from Neptune's eyes, in which she questioned herself what in gamindustri did she even do to her.

"…I'm going to kill you right here, right now, Noire." Purple Heart said with a vague expression. This alarmed the spectator, Iris Heart, but she still didn't take action. She wanted to see more of this. She knew that there's something more than meets the eye on Neptune.

But, that shocked Noire most. Few minutes ago, they were fighting together to defeat Arfoire. And now, Neptune's set to kill her? No matter how much Noire tried to think about, it didn't make sense. Nothing made sense to her.

Before she knew it, Purple Heart was already in front of her, ready to decapitate Noire. The goddess of black instinctively parried Purple Heart's attack, locking swords with her.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Neptune?! I don't understand!" Noire tried to get through to Neptune, but her attempts were futile. Neptune was dead serious on taking her head.

It didn't take too long for them to keep their swords locked. Black Heart immediately backed away, as she couldn't handle Purple Heart's strength. Noire wondered where Neptune's power was coming from, as it's seriously abnormal. They just became CPUs; no people had their faiths set on them right now. But in Neptune's case, it seemed like her powers were tenfold stronger than Noire.

Purple Heart didn't answer Black Heart's question as she just dashed to her opponent, delivering multiple blows, in which Noire couldn't counter, leaving her on the defensive.

"Ngh…!" Even though Noire could block all of the attacks, the blows were so heavy that she could feel her arms getting numb. She looked at Neptune, but she couldn't paint her face on a canvass. Her expression was nothing but vague, and her eyes were full of darkness.

Noire was caught off-guard by her thoughts, and Neptune took advantage of it. She then dealt an uppercut slash, purposely aiming at the handle of Noire's sword, making the goddess of black let go of her weapon.

"Nuts…!" Noire gritted her teeth as she saw her weapon flew upwards. Her arms were numb already, but she didn't give up just yet. She stepped back a bit and attempted to jump upwards to retrieve her sword, but she failed halfway and started to fall as she felt her powers weakening. She was a fresh bred CPU, after all.

"Ah…" was all she could say as she was falling to the ground. Noire saw Neptune jumped high and charged towards her, ready to stab her sword directly at the heart. _'Am I going to die without even fulfilling my goals? Am I going to die without knowing what is going on?'_

Her last thought made her close her eyes as she felt her back hit the ground.

' _Am I… going to die by Neptune's hands…?"_

Definitely. That was her last train of thought. She felt weak and powerless. Even though she received divinity powers, she still felt helpless. How was she even going to protect a nation when she couldn't even protect herself, from a single opponent? Plutia was indeed right, so much for her big dreams, but she had little power to destroy everything in her way.

She just waited for Neptune's sword to crush her heart as she lied on the ground with her eyes closed. But she felt nothing. She wondered if she was already dead, but no, she wasn't. She could still feel her breathing.

After a short while, she felt something dropping on her face. Somewhat like water. She wondered what was going on, and slowly opened her eyes. Much to Noire's surprise, Neptune's sword was directed at her chest, just a few centimeters away. And what surprised her more, the water droplets she felt earlier wasn't really water.

Tears. Neptune's tears, to be exact. She was crying. And she was crying silently as she stared at Noire.

Noire could feel her heart being crushed, as if Neptune's sword stabbed right through it. A CPU, crying in front of her, was something she wasn't expecting to see in her entire life. And what's more, it was Neptune. The cheerful girl in her human form and a very strong woman in her HDD form, was crying. That didn't sit right with her.

"Neptune…" Noire muttered in a low voice as she stared at Neptune. She could now see pain and conflicted hatred in her eyes. It was like, she wasn't sure of what she was doing; her sword was shaking, no, her entire body was shaking, seemingly afraid of herself.

Noire hated this.

Noire didn't like this.

Noire then unconsciously slid her hands on Neptune's sword, slowly getting up and successfully unarming the purple goddess. She couldn't stand it. The sight of Neptune crying, was something she didn't like. Even though she kept being annoyed by the purple-haired girl, she couldn't just bring herself to hate her.

The goddess of purple didn't even react even after her weapon was taken from her.

Black Heart then threw Neptune's weapon away, and pulled her into a hug. She knew that Neptune was in pain, and so she couldn't think of anything other than giving comfort to this hurt girl. Neptune's cries grew louder as she buried herself on Noire's chest and gripped on her torso.

"Waaaaaaahhhhh…!" Even though she didn't have the slightest idea about what's going on in Neptune's mind, she particularly did not care. And she wasn't even sure if she wanted to know it.

But she was sure that she would, willy-nilly. Sooner or later.

Noire caressed Neptune's hair, trying to ease the crying girl's pain. "I don't know what you've been through… but you don't need to bottle it up anymore." She whispered as she hugged her tighter, not wanting to let her go. She could feel her tears falling down from her eyes as well. "…I'm here for you, Neptune."

Noire didn't exactly know why she said that, but she couldn't care less. She just wanted to relieve the pain of the purple goddess.

 **~o~O~o~**

After almost half an hour, Neptune's cries subsided, with her reverting back to her human form and fell asleep on Noire's arms. Iris Heart, or now in her human form, Plutia, sighed in relief as she stared at her two friends. She almost thought that Noire's a goner, but there was still some of 'Neptune' in Neptune's heart.

She had the general idea about what was going on with Neptune, but she wasn't sure, unless a certain book fairy would say it.

"Noire, let's-" she approached her two friends, only to be interrupted by Noire with a 'sshhh' gesture and shook her head.

Noire then stared at Neptune's sleeping face. She could feel her cheeks getting a bit hotter the more she stared at the purplette. She slowly pulled her up, placed Neptune on her back, carefully not waking her up.

Plutia just smiled at them.

"Let's go." Noire whispered to Plutia, in which she nodded as a reply.

 **~o~O~o~**

After a few hours of walk, Noire and Plutia along with a sleeping Neptune found themselves back in Planeptune's Basilicom. They wasted no time and immediately headed to Plutia's room to give the unconscious purplette a comfortable place. Noire didn't mind carrying Neptune on her back, but of course, she had to set her down.

Noire lied Neptune on Plutia's bed. She didn't seem to be waking up any sooner. Whatever the cause of the events earlier that made Neptune go berserk (Noire couldn't think of anything else), must be shocking and a complete nerve-wracking feeling for the purple goddess.

The two stared at Neptune worryingly. Though worrying about Neptune won't help her recover immediately, they still did nonetheless.

"So, Plutia…" Noire called as she remembered an important topic.

Plutia tilted her head as she directed her attention to Noire. "What is it, Noire…?"

"Don't 'what is it?' me! Why didn't you help me earlier in stopping Neptune?!" Noire asked, in a little louder voice.

"Weeeell, Neppy stopped herself…" Plutia said.

Noire popped a nerve. "That's true, but that's not the point. I could've gotten murdered right there, you know." She explained.

"But you didn't…"

Noire popped another nerve. "I said that's not the point!" Noire raised her voice, which freaked Plutia a little. Noire realized what she just did, and instantly covered her mouth. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to shout…"

Plutia shook her head. She knew why Noire was mad, and what she said was true. If Neptune didn't stop herself, there would be no Noire in front of her right now.

"Look, Noire…" Plutia called as she scooted beside Noire, who was sitting beside the bed. "I believed in Neppy… I believed that she wouldn't just kill anyone without a reason… that is… if she has the guts to kill anyone." Plutia said.

"What do you mean…?" Noire couldn't figure out what Plutia's puzzle was.

"It would be easier to understand if Histy explains it to you…" Plutia then smiled awkwardly. "I'm baaaad at words, you know…"

Noire sighed. For once, she didn't actually hate not getting answers. She was infamous for being a loner, after all. She solved every problems she had by herself. Okay, let's not get deeper than that, shall we?

Neptune still wasn't showing any signs of waking up any sooner. Still, the two stayed beside her, with the same objective of waiting for Histoire's arrival. Now, they wondered where she went off; hopefully not another bargain shopping or else they wouldn't be getting answers in the next few days.

And just when they were about to fall asleep as well…

"I'm back!" A cute, little voice spoke out of nowhere. Noire and Plutia instantly turned to the source of the voice and saw a flying book fairy just by the door, carrying something again, but that didn't concern the two CPUs.

"Histoire…!" Noire called. Histoire turned to Noire as she noticed something odd from her, err, them.

She then flew towards her, and then saw Neptune lying on the bed, sleeping, much to her surprise. Well, there's nothing wrong with Neptune sleeping, it's just, Noire had this worried expression painted all over her face that gave Histoire an idea that something had happened.

"What happened?" Histoire asked with a troubled expression.

Noire relayed the events earlier to Histoire; from them finding two CPU memories in the ruins, meeting two of the seven sages, Noire and Neptune becoming CPUs, and up to Neptune attacking Noire. It didn't take Noire more than five minutes on explaining everything, and the same goes for Histoire to figure out what really happened.

"Hmm… there's only one conclusion that I could come up." Histoire said as she stopped her train of thoughts. "Neptune's memories are resurfacing again."

Noire was taken aback. "R-Really?"

Plutia didn't seem to be surprised. In fact, she knew it already.

"But…" Histoire continued. Noire felt a little uncomfortable with Histoire's tone. It's full of suspense. "She seemed to have mistaken it for something else."

Noire didn't seem to get what Histoire meant. The book fairy knew it as well, just by looking at Noire's expression.

"Her memories, involves you, Noire." Histoire said.

That completely threw Noire's thoughts to disarray. Now, everything didn't make sense to her.

"What are you talking about? I haven't met Neptune before she fell on me." She seriously didn't want to remember that event, but she doesn't have a choice.

Oh, how she wished that she could just crack her skull open, mess with her brain and remove that memory.

Histoire shook her head. "Noire, like I said, Neptune had mistaken her memories for something else."

"Stop talking in riddles and get to the point already." Noire's head was going in circles already.

She seriously hadn't had a clue, had she?

Histoire was about to speak again, but Plutia butted in the conversation. "Whaaaat Histy is trying to say is… Neppy mistook the Noire from her memories for you, Noire…" Plutia said like it's a matter of fact.

Didn't she just say that she's bad with words?

Noire gaped slightly at Plutia before talking again. "Weren't you listening to me earlier, Plutia? I told you that-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Histoire interjected. "Plutia's right, Noire."

Noire stared at the two in horror. Neptune had memories of her? How was that possible when it wasn't even a week after they met? Noire's mind was filled with more questions and confusions the more she listen to this conversation.

"So, in other words?" Noire inquired for more, as she knew that there's still more to what Histoire and Plutia was saying.

"Not in other words, but in a nutshell." Histoire corrected. "Neptune is not from this world."

Noire instantly lost the pupils in her eyes after hearing what Histoire just said. Is it really that surprising? Theoretically, yes.

"Uhm… Noire broke down, Histy…" Plutia said as she was waving her hands in front of Noire, but she received no reaction.

Histoire sighed. "Noire, it shouldn't be that surprising, when it is I myself, is floating in front of you and telling you this."

But still no replies from Noire. Now, they wondered what they should do to snap Noire back to reality. She didn't look like she was snapping back unless someone smacks her head.

And that, my friends, was what Plutia did.

 ***WHACK!***

"Oww…!" Noire cringed in pain as she placed her hands on her head, trying to ease the pain after Plutia smacked her real hard.

Yep, reaaaaaal hard.

"You didn't have to hit me that hard, I was only spacing out…" Noire cried.

Plutia then rubbed Noire's head, where she just smacked her. Looks savage though.

"I haaaad to hit you hard BECAUSE you were spacing out…" Plutia said and smiled. Somehow, Noire didn't like that smile, neither did Histoire.

Noire couldn't argue with that.

Histoire coughed to get the two CPU's attention. They'd been off-topic for a while as she let them bicker.

"So, Noire, do you believe what I said?" Histoire asked.

Noire went silent. Truth to be told, she still couldn't accept Histoire's theory. Not even if she was seeing a flying book fairy in front of her, dimensional travel wasn't something you'd encounter every day.

But, if she had to piece everything together, it would make sense. Purple Heart's strength was one thing, because she knew how to utilize her power. Another one was how the purple goddess could predict her moves. And lastly, her words after she just transformed. Noire completely heard what Neptune said after transforming, but she didn't give much attention to it as she was astonished with herself at that time.

" _Ah… it's been too long since I've been on this form, though I feel slightly different…"_

She sweat dropped after remembering everything.

"I guess I can take your silence as a yes, Noire?" Histoire asked.

"T-That may be true but, it's not l-like-"

Histoire sighed. "Noire, even if you try hard to reject that, your expression says the otherwise."

With that, Noire completely gave up. She then turned to Neptune, who was sleeping soundly on Plutia's bed. She just hoped that when she wakes up, she would be back to normal. She didn't completely like Neptune's carefree and irresponsible personality, but she didn't hate it either. At the very least, she preferred her that way than someone who was thirsty for blood.

She sighed. _'I guess I am not strong, after all.'_ She then smiled.

She wasn't talking about her battle prowess, per se, but about something else. Something else that she wouldn't admit in front of someone.

 **~o~O~o~**

"…"

A certain purple-haired girl slowly opened her eyes as she woke up from her sleep. She met a familiar ceiling as her vision returned to her.

It was already night time, as she noticed that the skies outside the window was already dark.

"…Ah…"

' _This is Plutia's room…'_ She thought to herself. Nobody could ever forget this colourful room whatever the circumstances.

She slowly sat up, and stretched her arms upward. She could feel her strength coming back, but as she looked around her, she suddenly felt scared. She didn't know why, but she just did.

But the question was still, why?

The purplette saw nobody around her. That scared her.

"…Noire…"

A name. She called out a name. But she got no response.

"Noire…?"

She called once more, yet the results were indifferent. Her heart started to race as she repeatedly looked around the room, inspecting every corner. After realizing that the person she was looking for was definitely not in the room, she slowly slipped out of the bed.

"Noire…!"

She called once more as she got out of the room, but still, she got no response.

"Noire…!"

She looked like a lost child trying to find her mother, but she herself didn't realize that. All she wanted to see was the person named Noire. She inspected every room as she called out Noire, but nobody was coming to her.

After a while of aimlessly looking for Noire and calling out her name, Histoire heard it and rushed to Neptune.

"Neptune? What is-Ack!" She didn't manage to finish her sentence as she was instantly grabbed by Neptune the moment she appeared.

"Histy, where's Noire?! Where is she?!" Neptune asked in complete panic as she was shaking the book fairy. Histoire didn't know why Neptune was acting like this but she was sure of one thing, she'd be like this if she didn't find Noire.

"N-Neptune…! I c-c-can't b-breathe…! S-Stop sh-shaking me…!" Histoire pleaded. Her face was already purple and it looked like bubbles would appear out of her mouth at any second. Neptune calmed down a bit, and Histoire sighed in relief as she got released from Neptune's grasp. "Noire's in the kitchen, prep-"

Before Histoire could finish her sentence, Neptune dashed out and immediately headed to the kitchen. She could ask a lot of questions right now regarding Neptune's behaviour, but alas, nobody was available to listen to her.

 **~o~O~o~**

As Neptune approached the kitchen, she could smell something nice. Looks like someone's doing a little cooking.

"Noire…?" She peeked into the kitchen. There, she saw Noire, in an apron, serving dinner on the table, with Plutia sitting on one of the chairs.

Noire noticed Neptune peeking on the door as she placed the dinner on the table. "Oh, you're awake, Nep-" She interrupted herself as Neptune started to run towards.

"Noire!"

"Eh?"

The next thing Noire knew was she got tackled down on the floor. Plutia just stared and smiled at them.

"What…"

Noire didn't quite process what just happened. Few seconds ago, she was serving dinner. And now, she's on the floor, with Neptune on top of her. "Neptune, what's wrong?"

Neptune gripped tighter on Noire's clothes as she buried her face on the ravenette's chest. "N-Noire… d-don't leave me…"

Plutia gaped at them, while Noire was surprised as much as she didn't expect Neptune to act like that. She wanted to know why, but the answer came to her automatically as she heard Neptune sobbing on her.

In the end, Purple Heart and Neptune were the same person, despite having different personalities. What affects one, affects the other as well, be it in a good way or not.

Noire smiled contently. She didn't kinda hate this particular occurrence. "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere." She said as she caressed Neptune's hair. Even being tackled on the floor, she felt comfort with Neptune.

Plutia just looked at them and smiled. "…How nice… I want Neppy to cuddle me too…"

But Neptune didn't budge. And instead, it was Noire who replied to her. "She doesn't need to, because you cuddle to her with every chance you get."

"Ehehe… guilty as charged."

Plutia then decided to suspend the agreement she had with Noire and Neptune. There's always a place and time for things.

* * *

 **And, there you have it. End of chapter 3.**

 **What do you think about the story so far guys? :)**

 **That's it for Noire's encounter. The next encounter would be with Blanc. There would be a lot of profanity, blood, and gore in the next arc, so I'm giving a fair warning in advance :)**

 **Anyways, the next chapter will have a huge timeskip, so bear with me.**

 **Please drop your comments on the reviews! It helps me improve my writing :)**

 **Until next time, see you guys!**


	4. An Inevitable Reminiscence

**Hello guys! Time for chapter 4!**

 **Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who supports my story! You guys are the best :3**

 **Anyways, as I've said on the previous chappie, we will have a huge timeskip, and yes, we did.**

 **To Author Heart – Ance: Neptune will remember her, as well as Vert. I don't quite get your second question, but if I were to guess, you're asking if the [Superdimension (Cuz Nep is from Superdimension, not Hyperdimension. My mistake if I said Hyperdimension before) ] CPUs will appear in Ultradimension, no? Then the answer is no.**

 **Blanc's arc will start now, but she won't appear in this chapter yet. Think of this as a prelude.**

 **Just a warning guys, from now on, there would be some, if not a lot, bloody stuff in the fic. I might change the fic's rating to M soon if it gets bloodier. And yeah, a lot of swearing when the time comes. Hue**

 **So yeah, that's it. On to the chappie now~ Enjoy!**

* * *

Lastation.

A nation founded fifteen years ago. Founded by the goddess Black Heart, in which in her human form, she was known as Noire. A person who was a very hard worker, and never lets a single job undone. She's proud of her work, as she brought her very own nation to prosperity, as in just a short period of time, Lastation outclassed its neighboring countries, Planeptune and Lowee.

Right now, Noire's in her office, doing more paperworks. Anyone would ask if she even gets to sleep when they saw her personally. The answer would be, yes of course. Even though she was well-known for being a workaholic person, she knew when to take a break.

And so, after stamping out the last document she had, she sighed in relief.

"At last, it's done…!" Noire said as she stretched her arms up. She could use a little massage right now; her back was killing her as she had been working in the past few hours. No, few would be an understatement.

It's already four in the afternoon. Wow, she was on it since morning. Goddesses sure are amazing.

"Now, I have some free time… what should I do?"

She leaned back on her chair and breathed deeply. It really felt good for her when she finishes her work for the day. Though working from morning to afternoon everyday isn't really a good thing.

"Maybe I should visit Plutia and Neptune… it's been so long since I've been in Planeptune…"

Okay, that might be a good idea. No, that's definitely a good idea. It would disprove everyone who thought that she was a loner. Being succumbed to work like for more than eight hours a day was also not giving time for friends.

If you're wondering about Noire being a loner, no. In the past years, Neptune and Plutia were always hanging around with Noire every day. Yep, EVERY DAY. They most of the time drop by Lastation's Basilicom and drag Noire out to play, and this should be a change of pace. Noire visits Planeptune from time to time as well when she had a lot of free time for the day.

Like today.

She stretched her arms upwards once more and sighed in relief.

"Okay, time to go." Noire said as she finished sorting all the documents in her office for her staff to deliver them.

Noire stepped out of the Basilicom and set forth to Planeptune after transforming. She could see her nation from above and smiled. She's proud of Lastation. She gave the people who had nowhere to go a place to live in, and Noire gained a lot of faith from her citizens. With that combination, the nation prospered in no time.

But there was one thing that was bugging her. It was Lowee's silence. Lowee's a neighboring country, far older than Lastation and Planeptune. Why? Because Lastation's shares were skyrocketing in a continuous pace, and it affects Lowee, its sole competitor, the most. (Planeptune doesn't compete for shares, and everyone knows it.)

She shook her head. It's no use to think about pointless things. Be it that she was concerned about it, she cannot do anything as they weren't taking any action that could make her take action as well.

And so, she just waited until Lowee makes its own move.

 **~o~O~o~**

After a short while of flying, Noire landed in front of Planeptune's Basilicom. The citizens didn't even question why the CPU of a neighboring country was here in Planeptune. Basically, they knew that their CPUs were in good terms with her. In fact, they treated Noire like she's their goddess as well, and that made Noire happy.

Noire reverted her transformation and entered the Basilicom. The staff greeted her and she greeted back with a smile. Afterwards, she went a few floors up and headed to Plutia's room without further ado.

As soon as she arrived near her target room, she could hear voices. Those voices were coming from the said room, and they didn't sound so friendly. She decided to make her entrance to know what was going on.

"Plutia? Neptune? Are you-?" She opened the door slightly.

She unconsciously interrupted herself as she caught someone glowing in light. After a short while, a tall woman appeared, with her long, purple hair tied in twin-braid style, wearing a dark and purple suit and wielding a dark purple katana which was pointed at a certain short girl with long, blonde hair who seemed to be scared shitless.

' _Neptune…'_ Noire was worried. Neptune haven't transformed even once since she founded Lastation, as she learned that Neptune was too afraid of her goddess form. Because when she does, those _memories_ surfaces far stronger than she could imagine.

And now, here's Neptune, in her HDD form, pointing her sword at the helpless girl.

"Try to do that and I won't be able to guarantee your safety." She said with a strong murderous intent towards the little girl. Whatever caused this woman to get angry, was definitely the fault of the short girl.

The blonde girl was about to say a rebuttal but didn't managed to as the woman in dark purple glared at her sharply, which sent shivers down to her spine.

"T-Threatening me, Abnes, with violence, h-huh!?" Abnes said with great nervousness. "T-Try me!"

Neptune didn't bat an eye and lifted her katana. And without hesitation, she dropped it down, aiming for the little girl's head.

"Stop it, Neptune!"

Neptune immediately halted after hearing the voice. She recognized whose voice it was.

"N-N-Noire…?" Neptune had a face of horror after seeing Noire enter the room. "N-Noire, I… I…"

But Noire didn't pay attention to Neptune's attempt to give an excuse.

"And you, Abnes." Noire turned to Abnes and grabbed her by the collar, which startled the little girl. "If you value your life, never show your face in front of us ever again." She then offered the door to her. "Oh, while you're at it, tell your Lowee Goddess to never even attempt to mess with us, or she won't live to see another day." It was almost like a declaration of war but Noire couldn't care less. If anything tries to make a mess with her nation or with her friends, she would not hesitate to destroy them.

She wouldn't let what happened fifteen years ago, being powerless and all, happen again.

Abnes gritted her teeth and immediately stomped out. About the Lowee Goddess, Noire knew that she was conspiring with the Seven Sages. And that single fact made her cringe as she could see the Lowee Goddess as an incompetent one.

Noire sighed as Abnes disappeared from her sight. Good thing Plutia wasn't here or Neptune's up for a real punishment. She then turned to Neptune, who was still shuddering in fear, in her HDD form.

"N-Noire… I, uh…I…"

Noire didn't say anything and just walked towards Neptune. The purple goddess was so afraid that the ravenette made her step back a bit, until she felt the wall behind her and cannot get away from Noire anymore.

"Noire… no, this is…-"

But the next event wasn't really what Neptune was expecting. "Noire…?"

The ravenette pulled Neptune for a hug. She did it tenderly, as she knew how hard it was for Neptune to be forced to activate her HDD by a small girl.

"I know, you don't need to say anything." Looks like Neptune's memories hadn't resurfaced completely yet. She was just in the nick of time.

Noire hugged her tighter as she caressed Neptune's hair. Whenever Neptune goes HDD, her memories were resurfacing and her mind was going unstable short while after transforming, and Noire was completely aware of it. That's why, as much as possible, she didn't want Neptune to go HDD.

"N-Noire…!" Neptune gripped on Noire's torso and she burst out in tears.

"There, there…" Noire said.

Neptune's transformation reverted as her cries continued, with Noire carefully holding her on her arms. "Noire, I'm sorry…!"

Noire continued to caress the purple goddess' hair as she spoke, "Shh, don't be. You did nothing wrong."

Now, Noire wondered where Plutia was. She could use a real, long, and heart to heart talk with her later for leaving Neptune alone. Oh, and Histoire too.

Noire let Neptune stay on her arms for a while until her cries subsided.

"So, what caused this? Aside from that girl just being here." Noire asked. "Surely she didn't get under your skin by just having a 'little girl' talk." Noire was completely aware that Neptune wasn't the type to get mad easily. Unless that Abnes girl touched a subject that she wanted to avoid the most, or something else that could spell trouble for others. This was the Seven Sages we're talking about, right?

Neptune pulled away from Noire. "W-Well, that little girl is making me give up my position as Planeptune's CPU…"

Noire smiled. She was about to ask something that would make captain obvious happy, but good thing she didn't. "I guess I don't need to hear your answer." She said. "So, what happened next?"

"She said that she'd tell the Lowee CPU to attack Planeptune and force me to." Neptune said.

Surprisingly, Noire wasn't surprised to hear that. Well, she did know that the Seven Sages were residing in Lowee. It would be more surprising if they weren't connected to the CPU.

"Oh? They're pretty confident that they'd stand a chance." Noire smirked as she chuckled.

Neptune made an awkward smile after seeing Noire's sinister face. It's no laughing matter when your friend is far scarier than your enemies.

"A-Anyways, Noire, what brings you here?" Neptune asked.

She shouldn't have asked though.

"Me? Oh, you guys always visit me in my place, so I thought that it would be a nice change of pace as I have a lot of free time today." Noire said. "I've been wondering, it's rare for Plutia to leave you alone. Where is she?"

Neptune scratched her cheek and averted her eyes from Noire. That left the ravenette flabbergasted. "W-Well, Plutie overslept, so I left without her to do our daily quests." Neptune said. "And now, Histoire's accompanying her with the work."

"Oh, that's so like her to- wait, YOU GUYS ARE WORKING?!"

That was a definition of a surprised Noire. Seriously, was it really that surprising?

"Uh, yeah. We do that every day before dropping by your place." Neptune said like it's a matter of fact.

Noire could feel her head spinning. Neptune and Plutia working? That's something she could hardly believe. To prove herself correct, she took her Vitstation, a hardware that Lastation released two years ago, and one of their latest tech. She then checked the trend of shares of each of the countries, and saw that Planeptune were going on a gradual rise.

She mentally slapped herself for not noticing it. She was checking the share trend every day for almost ten years that she didn't notice Planeptune's progress as it was going up on a slow pace.

Hey, at least it wasn't going down.

"Though I knew that Lastation's still got the most shares, why do I feel defeated all of a sudden?" Noire said as she sighed in disappointment.

Neptune didn't have the proper reaction for that, so she kept her mouth shut.

 **~o~O~o~**

After an hour or so, Plutia arrived back to Planeptune with Histoire. In all honesty, Histoire didn't like going out doing quests with Plutia. Aside from her CPU walks too slow and spaces out a lot in dungeons, it's a complete nightmare when she transforms. Histoire was the first one to witness and experience Plutia's sadism, after all.

"We're home…!" Plutia said as she entered her room, and saw Neptune and Noire inside, much to her surprise. "Ooohh, Noire's here!"

"Oh, welcome back, Plutia, Histo—Geh!" Noire interrupted herself as she saw Histoire sitting on her book, which was on Plutia's shoulder. "What happened to Histoire?!" She asked with a face of horror.

From the looks of it, Histoire looks like a stuffed doll. She was an embodiment of an inanimate person, with her somewhat lifeless eyes.

Noire could only think of one thing. And it's that _thing_.

"Oohh, Histy just…"

She was immediately stopped by Noire. "Hold on, I don't think I would want to know." She said and looked away.

Neptune shared the same thought as Noire. Histoire experienced Plutia's, or Iris Heart's wrath, again. Whatever happened after that, was something they didn't want to know.

"Is that so…? Okaaay…" Plutia then smiled at them. A smile that Noire and Neptune couldn't outright admit that they liked. "By the waay, it's rare for you to drop by, Noire…"

"A-ah, me?" Noire cleared her throat before speaking again. "I just had a lot of free time, so I decided to visit, since you guys were always hanging out in Lastation."

"Ooohhh, Noire's so nice…!"

"O-Of course, I am!" Noire agreed. Well, she's indeed nice, right?

Neptune could just stare and smile at her friends. She wished that these days would last forever.

 **~o~O~o~**

The night kicked in.

The moon was already up in the skies. The weather's so clear that one could see countless stars up in the heavens.

At the same time, the residents in Planeptune's Basilicom were seated at the dining room, eating their dinner and talking to each other about stuff. The past fifteen years was so peaceful, save for the events earlier. There were no threats, no dangers and the like.

But, that was about to change to an unforeseen future. Nice, a foreshadowing.

"Heeey, Neppy, Noire…" Plutia called her two friends.

Neptune and Noire turned to Plutia with confused looks. From their perspective, Plutia was thinking deeply, and it surprised the two.

"What's going on, Plutie?" Neptune asked.

Plutia grinned. Oh boy, Neptune could've wished that she hadn't asked.

"Do you remember… our promise… fifteen years ago…?" Plutia asked.

With that said, Neptune and Noire's skin crawled. Of course, they remembered it. And they could've wished that Plutia forgot that promise as they years went by. It was the deal they made with Plutia, or Iris Heart, before receiving the CPU memories.

Neptune's body for Plutia.

A single non-refusal request ticket from Noire for Plutia.

Oh girl, this could end well. Yes, it COULD end well.

"W-W-W-What happened… fifteen years ago…?" Noire asked while stuttering. Try to be more convincing, please.

Neptune's face turned purple, darker than her hair's color. Aside from her remembering the deal they made with the devil, Noire's just adding oil to the fire by feigning ignorance.

"Oh… Neppy and Noire… don't remember it anymore…" Plutia said. She then smiled evilly. "I wonder what I should do to make them remember..."

"Eeeeeeek!"

Both of them tensed up.

"Now… really… what should I do…?"

Before things could get ugly, Noire braved it up. She knew they were screwed whatever course of action they would take. "H-H-Hold on! Of course, we do remember it, r-right?" Noire said and then turned to Neptune, mentally telling her to agree with her.

Neptune didn't say a word and just nodded in agreement. As much as she'd rather eat eggplants instead of receiving a special treatment from Plutia, she couldn't get to choose. Though personally, no one would ever think that Neptune would prefer eggplants over a bad situation.

"Ooohhhh, then I guess, I don't need to remind you about it… right?"

Noire and Neptune could just look at Plutia's smiling face with horror. This would be a very, very, veeeeeeeeery long night.

 **~o~O~o~**

"Kyah-!"

Inside a steamy bathroom in Planeptune's Basilicom, there were three girls, who were stark naked. The long, purple-haired girl was rubbing the other purple-haired girl's hair with shampoo. The last girl, who had a long, dark hair, was washing herself beside them.

"Plutie, be sure to wash my hair properly!"

Plutie, or let's say, Plutia, was smiling as she gladly did what was ordered to her. "Of course, Neppy!" She said. "Noire, wash my hair too…!"

Noire was about to refuse but she knew the consequences. Even though they're like a happy-go-lucky buddies right now, she wouldn't take a risk.

"Later, let me finish cleaning myself first." Noire said and sighed.

In all honesty, she was glad that this was the only request that Plutia wanted from her. She was expecting something _steamier_ than this one, but her expectations failed her.

Not like she was complaining.

"Noire… are you thinking about something that… I would very much like…?" Plutia asked as she smiled at Noire. "Your face is showing everything…!"

Neptune could just chuckle at Plutia's remark. Even though she wasn't looking at them, Neptune could think a thing or two about what Noire was thinking.

"Noire… are you into that _thing_?" Neptune asked.

Noire's face turned red. "S-Say what?! Of course NOT! What kind of person do you think I am?!" She objected.

"Uhm… a masochist…?" Plutia said.

Noire popped a nerve. "Where did you get that idea?!"

"Uhm, a very lewd girl?" Neptune commented as she looked at Noire with a smug.

Noire popped another nerve. "IN WHAT FREAKING WAY I AM?!"

Plutia turned Neptune around and they looked towards Noire. "You're completely naked, Noire." They said in unison as they pointed to her.

Yep, Noire's body was laid bare in front of them to see. Her well-rounded breasts and perfect curves were presented for their eyes to feast.

"YOU TWO ARE NOT SO DIFFERENT!" Noire retorted.

Neptune and Plutia shook their heads in disagreement. "No… no… no… Of course we are…" Plutia said. "Look, we're covered in bubbles and steam… but you're not…"

Neptune nodded.

"WHAT KIND OF LOGIC IS THAT?!" Noire could tear her eyes off from frustration. If anything, she was frustrated at the bubbles and steam.

Plutia ignored Noire's rant and reminded her about her task. "Noire… please wash my hair."

The ravenette grumbled before complying with the order.

 **~o~O~o~**

But well of course, the night was still young. Neptune and Plutia found themselves playing in the CPU's room. Noire was there behind them, sitting on a cushion, waiting for her turn, which didn't look like it'll gonna come sooner.

"Awww… I lost…" Plutia said as a 'Player 1 wins' scene appeared on the monitor.

They were playing Virtual Battlers 2, a very popular fighting game released two years ago, and the second expansion of the first Virtual Battlers released five years ago. And many were still playing it right now. Plutia was playing against Neptune, and she just lost.

"Neppy's so good at this game…" Plutia said.

Neptune bragged. "But of course! I'm called Neptune for a reason." She said. "I work hard and I play even hard."

Noire took that as a challenge. "Hand me the controller, Plutia. It's time to bring this bring this ship into the shore."

Plutia then gave the controller to Noire, and challenged Neptune.

"Ohh, that's sweet, Noire." Neptune said. Though she didn't realize it, her cheeks were getting a little hot.

"You better prepare yourself, as I won't show mercy!"

The game started. Noire and Neptune selected their characters and the game brought them to the arena. After the countdown, Neptune took the first strike.

"Take this!"

Noire was surprisingly keeping up with Neptune's combos.

"Not on my watch!"

The setting of the game was set as three wins. And much to both of their dismay, the battle was already at 2 – 2. Means, whoever wins the last round, wins the match.

"Good luck…! I'm rooting for the both of you…!" Plutia cheered.

Somehow, that wasn't really encouraging.

The match started. As usual, Neptune took the first strike, only to be blocked by Noire's character. This kept up for a few seconds and it was Noire's turn to attack, only to be blocked by Neptune's character as well.

Man, they both didn't like losing.

But then, much to the three's surprise, there said in the screen 'Player 1 wins'.

"Ooohhhh…!" Plutia beamed.

"Wha-?" Noire gaped.

Neptune won.

"Hah! It's my win!" Neptune pumped her fists.

Noire pouted. She didn't expect herself to lose. And to Neptune, of all people.

"No, I won't accept this!" Noire said as she snapped. "I WANT A REMATCH!"

Neptune smirked at Noire. "Bring it on, Noire!"

Plutia didn't seem like she liked the idea. "Noire… I want to play too…"

"AFTER I GET MY -!" She got interrupted by a sudden shout from the other room.

" **WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT UP?! THERE ARE PEOPLE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!"**

The three of them shook as they heard the shout. It was the first time they heard _her_ voice as loud as that.

"Oops, Histy got mad." Neptune said in a low voice.

Yes, it was Histoire. She was just staying on the room just next to Plutia's. One wouldn't expect Histoire to have a voice in that volume, if you were to look at her figure. That really didn't look harmonized, really.

And the time was past ten already, sleep time for kids.

"Anyways! We're having a rematch!" Noire said in a whispering manner. She didn't want Histoire to be madder than she was already.

"Noire… we should sleep as well…" Plutia suggested. Earlier, she was raring to play once more, but now, she didn't feel like doing so. Well, Histoire was one reason.

Neptune nodded. "As much as I want to, we wouldn't want to piss Histy anymore now, would we?" Neptune said as she powered off the console.

Noire pouted and grumbled as she laid the controller down. Seriously, she was thinking that she was going to sleep as a loser. That really didn't sit well with her. She had always been the winner. Well, that's just her saying that.

Hey, does it really matter now?

After a few minutes of cleaning, Noire then laid the futon down, big enough for three, because they couldn't fit in Plutia's bed as it's too small even for two (Plutia insisted that the three of them should sleep together).

"I'm turning the lights off now." Noire didn't wait for any replies and turned the lights off. She then snuggled in between Neptune and Plutia, but hey, i-it's not like she did want to!

"Good night, Noire." Neptune and Plutia said in unison. Noire then wondered how in good heavens the two of them were in sync, but then, she was too sleepy now to think for an answer. (Hey, didn't she want a rematch with Neptune earlier?)

"Good night."

After a short while, two of them fell into a blissful slumber.

 **~o~O~o~**

 _I opened my eyes._

 _There was a beautiful scenery in front me. Trees, green grasses filled the lands. More importantly, the clouds were too low and I could even touch it._

 _No, that wasn't right. The land was floating. And I myself was floating as well. There was also something not right._

 _There were three people charging at me simultaneously in all directions!_

"I won't lose!"

 _I didn't intend to say that, but my mouth said it before I could think. That was the same time that I learned that I have no control over my body._

 _My body jumped upwards and repelled every attack thrown at me._

 _The three people continued to deliver attacks on me, in which my body responded on its own to defend itself._

"It's time for you to die!"

 _!_

 _I could see my weapon flying away up to the sky as I got attacked by that girl with blue hair. I could not see her face as somehow it was blurry._

 _My body chased the weapon and attempted to retrieve it, but failed in doing so as a spear hit it and got blown away once more._

"Now it's time for you to die!"

 _No._

 _Why?_

 _Why?_

 _Why?!_

 _Why is she here?!_

 _She didn't look the same as_ her _, but I know that it's her._

 _Noire._

 _Noire, why?! Why would you do this? I thought that we're-_

"Kyaaaaahhh-!"

 **~o~O~o~**

"…!"

In the middle of the night, a certain purplette with short hair suddenly opened her eyes as she woke up from her sleep. She was panting very hard, as she could still remember that dream.

She slowly sat up, still catching her own breath. She was unconsciously gritting her teeth as she covered her left eye with her palm.

Her head, no, her mind was in pain. That dream was killing her.

Simply because it wasn't just a dream. It was her memory, and she was aware of it as well.

"Noire…" She murmured.

She turned to her right, and saw a ravenette, sleeping peacefully with a smile.

"Nnnnggghh…!"

Her head was feeling more and more pain as she stared at Noire. She hated it.

She hated it.

She hated it.

She hated it.

She gripped on her head and mouth, holding her screams and the desire to throw up. Her dream kept on replaying in her mind as she stared at Noire. And it gave her a disgusting feeling.

She stood up and then placed herself on top of Noire, carefully not waking up the sleeping girl.

 _Stop_.

She attempted to materialize her sword, but she failed as it was still on its data form.

There's _something_ that was stopping her from doing so. But, she completely ignored it and fully materialized her sword. She then held on it tighter as she lifted it using both of her hands, with the tip of her sword pointed at Noire's chest.

 _Stop_.

She froze for a while, as her arms were shaking. She was conflicted, and she couldn't act properly the way she wanted to. Yet, she knew what she was about to do.

 _Stop._

The next thing that happened was, the whole futon was stained with blood.

* * *

 **There it is, chapter 4!**

 **Were you just imagining it? NO! It's happening!**

 **So, what do you think of it? Is it good? (Please say yes!)**

 **Anyways, I have no idea how long will this story go. I usually have 10 – 14 chapters per story, but I'm not sure about this one. Maybe when it progressed a lot, that's when I would know. :D**

 **Please drop that mighty reviews of yours! It helps me improve my writing and it gives me a lot of motivation to write :)**

 **Until next time, see ya guys~**


	5. An Inevitable Confrontation

**Hello guys! Eraviel here! Time for chapter 5!**

 **About the Yandere thing, I might discard the idea. Either way, no one was interested with it, ayy.**

 **Some profanities will be included when Blanc is in the scene, I don't know if it's enough to make it to M-rating, so I'll leave at that for now.**

 **I'll practice to write longer chapters.**

 **To Author Heart – Ance: Answering your questions at once... [1] I wonder? :) [2] I believe the answer is right there, if you missed it, here it is. She haven't transformed even once since Lastation was founded. Another thing, well, I didn't include this since I thought it was very obvious, but I guess it wouldn't hurt. The times Noire visited Planeptune isn't really that many. Because Lastation is just a newly founded nation, a lot of work is needed to be done, and I don't think Noire would have that many day-offs, being the CPU of Lastation. It's not everything, so the rest is up to you to crack it up :) [3] Neptune remembers her by face, not really by her outfit/style of sorts. I mean, you don't remember people by their clothes, right? :D**

 **Another thing. If any of you read my first HDN fanfic, Change, check my FB page to see what that story's ending would be. And so, I'll ask again, do you guys want me to continue that fic? :D Check my FB page first before answering! XD**

 **So, there's that. I don't have much to say other than my gratitude to everyone supporting my story! You guys are the best :)**

 **On to the chappie now, enjoy~**

* * *

"…mmhmm…"

A certain purple-haired girl opened her eyes slowly as she regained her consciousness. She met an unfamiliar ceiling, with her body feeling a little heavy as she could not really move it the way she wanted to.

"Where… am I…?

"Neptune?!" an agitated voice suddenly filled her ears.

She then slowly turned to the source of the voice and saw a panicking girl beside her. She had a raven-colored hair tied in twin-tails, wearing a black and blue combination of clothes that seemed to be a cosplay outfit of sorts.

"N…Noire…" Neptune said in a low voice.

Noire sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. How are you feeling?" She asked as she touched Neptune's forehead, unbeknownst to her that she was making the purple-haired girl blush a little. "We're in Histoire's room."

"I… I feel like… hammered crap…" Neptune tried to crack a joke, but it was no joke. She herself knew how she was feeling.

Noire smiled a little. "I bet you do." She said. Neptune then tried to leave the bed, but her attempts were futile and she badly fell down from her bed, but she was caught by Noire before she made her fall. "Just stay down, you're not in a good condition to move." Noire said as she helped Neptune back up and lifted her up back to her bed. "You were in a coma for a week."

Neptune was surprised to hear that. "W-What… happened?"

Noire didn't say anything and just bit her lip. She obviously didn't want to talk about it. She just _couldn't_.

"Noire…?" Neptune called.

"H…Huh…?" Noire was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Neptune's call. "Y-Yeah…?"

"So, will you tell me?" Neptune asked.

Silence was Noire's reply, but she knew that it wasn't a good idea to stay silent. Neptune had the right to know.

But, it would hurt both of them.

"O…Okay…" Noire said nervously. "But… Neptune, before everything else, I'm sorry…" Noire apologized.

Neptune didn't understand why Noire was apologizing. She didn't have the chance to ask why as Noire started to talk.

 **~o~O~o~**

 _Heavy._

 _It was too heavy. I can't breathe. I didn't know what was going on._

 _It was still in the middle of the night._

 _I slowly opened my eyes to check what just interrupted my sleep. I really wanted to pay no heed to it but it was suffocating the hell out of me. There, someone was just using me as their body pillow. I couldn't see too much because the room was too dark and my vision was really not in a good shape, but I could see_ purple _._

" _Neptune…?"_

 _The first person that came to my mind. Since Plutia was still beside me, so that leaves Neptune on me._

" _Nep…tune… I can't breathe… please move…"_

 _But there was no reply. I tried shaking Neptune off me, but she did not move at all._

" _Come on… Neptune… please…"_

 _But still, I heard no replies. In a short while, some weird smell started to linger in my nose. It smelled like… iron or something._

 _I slowly pulled myself out of the futon, in which I successfully did, without disturbing any of my companions. My guts were telling me that there was something wrong in this room. As I continued to smell that iron-like smell, I had the worst hunch ever._

 _And I couldn't be more right than I wished I wasn't._

" _NEPTUNE?!"_

 _As I flicked the lights open, I saw Neptune on top of the futon, with a sword stabbed directly on her stomach, piercing straight to her back, with her blood continuously flowing out of her body._

 _My heart had started to race. My breathing became heavier as I stared at Neptune's body. But now's not the time to be speechless. Neptune's in danger!_

 _I swiftly moved to Plutia's side and violently shook her. "P-Plutia… wake up!"_ _I called and continued to shake her until she woke up._

" _Nnnhh… Noire…?"_ _Plutia said as she was still half-awake. But I had no time to spare for her usual obliviousness._

" _Don't say another damn word and call Histoire immediately! Neptune's in danger!"_ _I panicky said. I really can't do anything about Neptune's condition as I'm not really an expert when it comes to these things._

 _I saw Plutia's confused expression, but after seeing Neptune bleeding on the futon, she immediately dashed out to the next room. I kneeled beside Neptune to see how she was doing, but I couldn't think of anything else other than she was in grave danger._

 _After a few minutes, Plutia came back with Histoire._

 **~o~O~o~**

"What has gotten into me…" Neptune said after hearing Noire's story. Even though Noire didn't mention how she ended up getting injured, she herself knew that it was her own doing. In a nutshell, she was the one who stabbed herself.

She couldn't remember why she even stabbed herself. But she completely remembered that _dream_. No, that wasn't really correct. It was her _memory_. Maybe it was the reason, but still, it didn't connect to her stabbing her own guts.

She couldn't remember.

"I'm sorry…!" Noire apologized as she grabbed Neptune's hand and gripped it on her chest tightly.

There, Noire apologized once more. "…Why are you apologizing, Noire…?" Neptune finally managed to ask.

"B-Because… Because…!" Noire's tears finally escaped from her eyes as she couldn't hold it in anymore. "I was the reason you got hurt…!"

That didn't make sense to Neptune at all. Why and how in Gamindustri would Noire be the reason that she stabbed her guts? No matter which angle she looked at her statement, it didn't make any sagacity to her.

Except for the fact that she saw Noire in her dreams, in which she hoped that it wasn't really Noire.

"I don't understand, Noire…" Neptune said.

Noire didn't say anything and just sobbed beside Neptune. As much as she wanted to tell Neptune the truth, she couldn't, as per Histoire's orders. It would cause Neptune a massive mental breakdown if she learned that she didn't belong in this world. They've been hiding that from her for fifteen years, so why reveal it now?

 **~o~O~o~**

" _Histoire, how's Neptune…?" I asked Histoire as she got out of her room. She was tending on Neptune's injuries as they really can't take her to a hospital because Neptune's a CPU._

 _Histoire sighed. That wasn't really reassuring. "Nothing but miserable, but her life isn't in danger anymore." Histoire said._

 _I sighed in relief. Just hearing that Neptune's life wasn't in danger made me feel relieved. "Thank goodness…"_

" _But… Noire." Histoire called me. She looked very serious… but troubled at the same time. "We need to talk. Just the two of us."_

 _Good thing that Plutia was in her room. She was still shocked after everything that had happened. I couldn't really blame her. Among everyone in Planeptune, she's the closest to Neptune._

 _I followed Histoire to the next room without further ado. I closed and locked the door after entering the room. "So, what did you want to talk about?"_

" _I peeked inside Neptune's memories." Histoire said with a straight face._

 _I was taken aback with she said. "W-What…? Why would you do that?"_

" _To find out what caused her unusual behaviour." Histoire said, but confidence didn't appear in her expression. That gave me an idea that she didn't manage to get all answers._

 _Either way, I still asked. "So, did you find out?"_

"… _Sadly, No. I wasn't able to get all answers to my questions but…I was certain of one thing." Histoire said._

 _I gulped. Histoire was about to drop the bomb, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear it or not._

 _But, I've got no choice but to hear it._

"… _She was casted away." Histoire said, as she tried to recall the memories she saw from Neptune. "T-There… T-There were four CPUs… four of them… and the three… eliminated Neptune…" Histoire said. Recalling that memory seemed to be a very painful feeling for her._

 _My heartbeat went faster as I heard Histoire's answer. But I've got a feeling that she wasn't done talking just yet._

 _And I couldn't be more correct._

" _And Noire… I definitely saw you in that memory…" Histoire said as she bit her lip. "You… were one of the three who casted Neptune away…"_

 _With that, I lost all the strength I had in my feet and fell down on my knees. So that was why she attacked me shortly after we became CPUs. But, she knew that the me in her memories, and the me in front of her were two different people, so she managed to stop herself in the nick of time._

 _But that line of thought scared me._

 _If I were to compare it to what just happened today, it would mean that… 'Neptune' tried to kill me… only to stop 'herself' and stabbed herself with her own sword._

" _Neptune…!" My tears fell down as I reached that conclusion. It hurt. It hurt so much that I wished that I was the one who were in her place right now._

 _I was the reason why Neptune was hurting._

 _I was the reason why Neptune stabbed herself._

 _She prevented herself from killing me, only to get herself hurt in the process._

 _And more importantly, I was the reason why Neptune was like that in the first place. Though I knew that it was my counterpart who was at fault here, I still couldn't help but blame myself as well. We may be two different persons, but technically, we're the same._

" _Noire… it's not your fault…" Histoire tried to comfort me, but it didn't make me feel better._

" _I know Histoire… I know it…!" I said as I continued to sob. "B-But still… I couldn't help it…"_

 **~o~O~o~**

Noire went out of Histoire's room as Neptune fell asleep. She just told the purplette to take it easy for now as she just woke up from her weeklong coma. The ravenette leaned on the door as she held her voice of cries, yet she couldn't stop her tears.

While yes, she was happy that Neptune had finally woken up, and she was safe. But still, the guilt that she knew she wasn't responsible for was still eating her away. She slowly slid down, and finally sat down on the floor while leaning on the door.

She finally let it out.

She hugged her knees as she sobbed quietly. Even though Histoire said that it wasn't her fault, she still kept on blaming herself. Because, Noire just being near Neptune was already an issue. When she's close to Neptune, the purplette would just remember all of the bad memories she had.

She thought that she should keep her distance to Neptune. Yes, that might be a solution. It would be a great idea for Neptune to not think about that memory anymore.

But the question was, can Noire even do it?

Can she even distance herself from Neptune, when Noire herself promised Neptune not to leave her?

She didn't want to break her promise and betray Neptune. That was one thing that she was sure of. But, what can she do? If she stayed beside her, things like this would happen again. Sure, she admitted to herself that she really wanted to stay beside Neptune, but if her very existence would be the reason that Neptune will be hurt…

"Noire."

A voice suddenly called Noire and snapped her out of her thoughts. There, she saw a short, purple-haired girl, with her hair braided, standing before her.

"Plutia…"

Yes, it was Plutia, the first CPU of Planeptune, standing in front of Noire. She had this smile on her face as she looked at the crying girl. Normally, Noire would feel malice from it. But, she didn't.

"You don't need to worry about me." Noire said as she wiped her tears off her eyes.

Plutia frowned to a short bit and then smiled weakly. "I really don't want to… but your eyes wanted me to."

Noire's eyes were already red from her consistent tearing. She couldn't help it. She was both happy and sad at the same time, that it really didn't give her a choice but to cry only.

"Really… Plutia. I'm fine. I'm just… happy that Neptune's awake already." She said. That was just an excuse, though, and Plutia knew it as well. In any case, Noire wasn't fooling anyone.

"Okay… if you say so…" Plutia said as she turned around, and then walked away. "But… Noire…" She stopped.

Noire looked at Plutia's direction.

"Between what you should do… and what you want to do…" Plutia paused and gave Noire an encouraging smile. "The answer… is pretty obvious…" She then departed to her room.

It was almost like, Plutia knew what Noire was thinking, and the ravenette was aware of it as well. She was wearing her emotions on her shoulders, after all.

"I'm so pathetic…" She said to herself in a low voice.

The answer was very simple, yet she didn't even realize it. She just realized it when Plutia, of all people that she didn't want to hear it from, mentioned the obvious thing.

 **~o~O~o~**

Three days have passed.

Neptune finally recovered to full health, and now she's back on action.

At the moment, she was in Lastation, with Noire and Plutia. Noire insisted that they should've stayed in Planeptune but it was already too late, as they were in Lastation before she could fly off. (They were talking through the phone, by the way.)

Noire made sure to finish everything fast (she did all of today's work in just six hours) and proper. Why yes, her fatigue was doubled because of working twice faster than normal, the reward would be so much better: she get to have a long rest.

It was an hour past noon. What were they doing? They were eating lunch together. There wasn't a single day that these trio wouldn't see each other. Whatever the circumstances, they would meet.

"So, Noire… how were things…?" Plutia said as she finished her lunch. Noire cooked the food herself (Yes, she can cook, of course!) for them as she didn't really want to trouble her staff to do it as they've got better things to do.

"As usual, nothing worth really the trouble." Noire said. "Though things have been going a little noisy in Lowee, and I think that's enough to put up a little concern."

Neptune tilted her head. "What's going on?"

"Look, remember what my objective was when I decided to become a CPU?" Noire asked. The two made an 'Ah' expression as they remembered. "Exactly. There were a lot of citizens migrating from Lowee to Lastation, and of course, we accepted them."

Neptune was about to ask something stupid, but then she held herself back. Noire was well aware of what the purplette was about to ask, so she decided to be honest with it. They needed to know it anyway.

"I know what you're thinking, Neptune. Yes, it's a problem for Lowee." Noire said as she took a sip on her tea. "The CPU of Lowee banned their citizens from going out, but I couldn't ignore the people who wanted to be free, so I sent some spies to Lowee and helped as many citizens who want out as possible."

Neptune was astonished. That was a suicide mission for Noire's men, really. "Your populace must be really brave to accept a suicide mission like that, Noire." Neptune said.

"They volunteered. I couldn't outright refuse them if they want to help their fellow citizens. But of course, I'm not that cold that I would just let them die there when they blow their cover." Noire said.

Ah, yes. Most of Lastation's citizens were from Lowee. It wouldn't be too surprising if her men would want to help their former fellow citizens. Lowee had been like a cage of hell in the past few years, and that was the reason why Noire easily won the people's hearts.

 **~o~O~o~**

"Lady Blanc, we've received reports that our citizens were still migrating to Lastation."

Inside Lowee's Basilicom, there was a young (technically) girl sitting in her office, when a fat, old man in a black suit entered the room, delivering the report. The girl twitched her eyebrow as she heard the not-so-pleasant report.

"What the hell are the soldiers doing?!" Beneath her calm composure, her rage was rising as her voice was the complete opposite of something calm. "Shut off all of Lowee's borders and prevent anyone from getting in or out. I do not care if there are people left outside."

The old man shivered at his Lady's orders. It seems like the current crisis was indeed taking its toll on her much more than he expected to, and it was gradually changing the personality of his Lady.

"Lady Blanc, you ought to think about that first. Our citizens were growing displeased with your current decisions." He said. "Ever since that migration banning."

The young girl slammed her fist on the small table beside her, breaking it completely. "They are displeased?! How dare they?! Lowee is an old, proud nation that has been standing for many years! Many years that I've put my everything for her prosperity, and now this is what they repay me?!"

The old man was not in a very good condition to deal with her Lady's crazy antics. "Lady Blanc, you need to calm down." He pleaded, hoping that his lady would calm her nerves.

That just pissed off Blanc. She stood up and in an instant, she transformed. Her blue hair paired with long sideburns, and white suit, was presented before the old man.

"L-L-Lady Blanc…?" The old man cowered in fear. Every Lowee citizens knew how their CPU acts in and out of HDD (Basically, there was no difference worth mentioning, aside that her voice which gets intense when she transforms).

"You hold it right here. I'm going to teach that arrogant bitch a lesson or two about superiority." Blanc said as she glared at the old man. "If that little girl drops by here, tell her to not show her face in front of me anymore, along with her nonsense shit." She said as she opened the window and then flew off to the skies.

The old man was left frozen on the spot. Now he wasn't sure if it was even a good idea to be affiliated with this goddess anymore.

 **~o~O~o~**

Back in Lastation, Neptune, Noire, and Plutia was enjoying the peaceful environment presented to them. They were staying in the balcony of Noire's room, having conversations about stuffs not related to work, reminiscing memories (Oh how Noire was really inconvenienced by that), and other girl talks.

It was all peaceful and calm, when suddenly, someone knocked at the door.

"I'll be right back." Noire excused herself and headed to the door. She then slid the door slightly open to see who just knocked.

"Lady Noire, one of our guards assigned at the Lowee border reported that Lowee's CPU is waiting for you."

In an instant, Noire's expression turned sour. The Lowee CPU was provoking her, and Noire was aware of that. And cocky as well as she took the liberty to call her rather than storming here in the Basilicom.

"I got it. Tell all the guards on duty to be on full alert. I will deal with that CPU." Noire ordered. The guard nodded. "This could be an act of invasion, so do a full preparation. Tell the citizens to evacuate if necessary."

"Yes!" The guard nodded once more and left.

Noire sighed as she closed the door. Everything was going so well when that Lowee CPU just had to ruin it. She get to relax, hang out with Neptune and Plutia like she always did, and that Lowee CPU would take that from her.

Her eyes were in fury. No one gets to mess with her nation.

"Noire? What's wrong?"

Noire snapped back as she heard Neptune's voice from behind. She turned to them and just waved her hand off, implying that it was nothing serious.

"You wouldn't make a sour expression when it's nothing serious, Noire." Neptune remarked. Damn, she's good at reading people, was what Noire thought.

Noire sighed once more. Well, it wouldn't hurt to tell them, since they were friends and partners in crime, so there shouldn't be any problems.

"That CPU of Lowee is at our borders and provoking me." Noire said. "And I'm off to give her what she wants and what she deserves."

"That sounds… like you, Noire…!" Plutia commented. That was really unnecessary, as Noire twitched an eyebrow after hearing that.

"Whatever, I'm going now." Noire said. "You're free to come or not, though I already know what your choice would be."

Plutia and Neptune smiled at Noire, in which the ravenette did as well. They could really understand each other.

 **~o~O~o~**

"…Tch,"

At the border of Lowee and Lastation, a girl in white suit, with blue hair and red eyes, holding a giant axe, was getting impatient waiting for a certain someone.

"That bitch should not cower now." She said in a loud voice as she slammed her axe on the ground angrily. Her fury could be felt from a far away.

"Who are you calling a bitch, huh?"

 **~o~O~o~**

"Hey, Noire…"

Noire turned to the person who just called her. That person was on her arms, by the way.

"What's up, Neptune?"

It was Neptune. Noire was carrying her with her arms alone. And princess-carry style, to be exact.

"I appreciate the sentiment… but I can fly on my own, you know." Neptune said.

"Definitely not." Noire objected flatly. "I shouldn't even let you come in the first place, but I know you won't back down."

Neptune didn't say anything afterward. Their other companion, Plutia, or currently in her HDD form, Iris Heart, did the same. Neptune knew why Noire didn't want her to transform and fly on her own. She was completely aware of it. Noire just said it out of concern.

After a few minutes, they landed on the ground several meters away from their destination.

"Plutia, take care of Neptune." Noire said and put Neptune down. "And Neptune, do not ever transform unless the situation really calls for it, got it?"

Neptune nodded in agreement.

"I got it Noire. I'll keep anyone at bay." Plutia said. She knew Noire wanted to have a little chit-chat with the goddess of Lowee, and that delighted her in her own way. She wanted to see how much Noire have grown in the past few years.

"Thanks." Noire then flew away and headed to her objective.

Few moments later, she spotted a girl below that didn't seem to be a normal human. She immediately knew that she was her target.

That was the Lowee CPU.

"That bitch should not cower now." The Lowee CPU said in a loud voice as she slammed her axe on the ground angrily.

Noire popped a nerve as she heard that. That Lowee CPU HAD to shout it out, and the timing was too perfect that she blurted those words out when she was getting near!

She then increased her flying speed and flew down directly to the Lowee CPU.

"Who are you calling a bitch, huh?" Noire said as she landed VERY HARD on the ground. The Lowee CPU didn't seem to be fazed with her arrival.

"Took the scenic route, eh?" The Lowee CPU said as she finally calmed herself down. _'So this is Lastation's CPU, Black Heart, huh.'_

Noire smirked. She could test this girl for a bit and see how far her tolerance would go. "Yeah, you're the least of my worries, anyways."

"The fuck's with that?!" The Lowee CPU snapped out after getting underestimated by a fresh bred CPU.

' _Oops, she snapped already? What a short temper this goddess have.'_ She thought as she contained her laughter within herself.

"Hey, hey, don't get too worked up over small details." Noire said, almost chuckling. She was just adding oil to the fire, and see how far can she get through this OLD goddess.

The Lowee CPU could hardly prevent herself from cutting Noire's head as her anger rises off the charts, but she held herself back (barely) because she can't be too reckless as she knew that that CPU was just provoking her, and she might have an ace up on her sleeve.

"So, what's wrong with you? I'm sure you didn't just come here to call me and introduce yourself physically, _Lady White Heart_?" Noire said with an obvious hint of sarcasm.

Now on the serious talk. White Heart ignored Noire's provocation and answered directly. "I'm taking my people back."

Noire sighed. She didn't know that this goddess was so naïve and childish, and stupid as well.

"Sorry, but I do not have the liberty to do that when _MY PEOPLE_ want to stay here in Lastation." Noire said, giving heavy emphasis on 'my people', implying that she had the governance over them now. "Besides, who am I to send them away? I am a CPU for goddess' sake. I answer people's wishes with the best I can, not reject them."

"I see. Then…" White Heart stomped her foot on the ground, creating a massive shockwave that shook the area near half a mile radius, and made all birds in the trees fly away. "I guess I'll have to do it by force." She then took her axe, and slammed it on the ground as well, creating another shockwave.

Noire materialized her sword. "Quite the barbarian, aren't we?" She then took a defensive stance. Noire knew that brute force was this goddess' forte, and she wasn't stupid to attack her head-on.

 **~o~O~o~**

"What was that?"

Neptune felt the ground shook from several meters away. She then saw the birds housing the trees fly away.

"Seems like they got themselves in a heated argument." Iris Heart said. "Stay here, Neppy. I'll go check it-"

The ground shook once more. It looked like the situation was getting intense, or worse, most likely. Now, they were getting worried about Noire. She may be strong as hell, but her lesser battle experience might hinder her way out when a battle would erupt.

"No. I'll go with you." Neptune said as she resolved herself.

Plutia just stared at Neptune and realized that she was indeed serious. It wasn't really a good idea to bring Neptune here but it would be outright cruel if they would just tie her up in the Basilicom just to keep her from tagging along.

"…I won't be held accountable for this, alright?" Plutia said as she grabbed Neptune and flew out immediately towards Noire's position.

 **~o~O~o~**

"You're itching to go, huh?" Noire said as she gripped on her sword like a magnet. She wouldn't want to accidentally let go of her weapon now, would she? "Well then, come at me girl!"

White Heart smirked. "I'll take up on your offer then!" She said and dashed towards Noire, but she stopped half-way. "Tch."

Noire was puzzled. "What's wrong? Got a cold feet?"

"It's so nice of you to bring your friends." White Heart said as she backed away for a bit.

"Friends…?" She then turned around and saw Plutia landing down, with Neptune on her arms. She then immediately panicked. "Plutia?! What are you doing?!" She then immediately headed towards them, with hopes that Neptune didn't see White Heart from afar.

Plutia just smiled. "Neppy's orders, not my decision. It looked like something went down and she wanted to check on you."

While she was happy that they were worried about her well-being, Noire was worried about something more sinister. It was just her guess, but still, she didn't want Neptune to meet White Heart.

But that was about to fail.

"Noire… what are you…?" Neptune peeked behind Noire and saw White Heart few meters away from her. She didn't say anything, nor moved a muscle afterwards as she just kept her head down, which confused Plutia, and agitated Noire.

"Plutia, take Neptune away as far as you can, and as fast as you can, NOW!" Noire said as she grabbed Neptune, carried her and passed her onto Plutia, with the purplette not reacting at all. "Whatever it takes, you must NOT let her go."

But of course, that didn't please Plutia. "Noire. It's about time you tell me what's really going on." She said.

"No time. Just do what I say and I'll tell you later." Noire said and immediately confronted White Heart again as Plutia nodded and flew away with Neptune.

As she confronted White Heart, she immediately took the defensive stance. "So, you're still willing to go? If you do, we gotta make this quick. I have no time to spare for your complaints."

White Heart clicked her tongue. Now she just lost her mood to pulverize this woman. "I'm not interested anymore." She said and lowered her axe.

"Fair enough." Noire said and dematerialized her weapon.

"But we're not done yet, remember that." White Heart said as she glared at Noire sharply. "I will take my people back."

Noire sighed. She was still going on with that?

"Then do something good that will make your people not lose faith on you." Noire said and flew away, leaving White Heart alone, cursing herself.

Despite being high and mighty, White Heart herself knew that she was at fault as to why her people were turning their backs on her.

 **~o~O~o~**

On air, Noire was flying back to her Basilicom. She was worried about Neptune and so she opened her comms and called Plutia. After a short while, Plutia picked up the call. " _Noire…?_ "

"Plutia? Where are you now?" Noire asked.

" _We're at your Basilicom..._ "

Noire sighed. That's one weight off. "How's Neptune?" She asked.

Not expecting a reply from Neptune, Noire heard the purplette's voice from the comms. _"Hey Noire, what's up? Where are you now?"_

Noire was flabbergasted. _'She didn't react to her? Could that goddess have nothing to do with the other two…?'_

No, she couldn't be too careful. The chances were still there, and she can't let her guard down for one second. "I'm fine, I'm near the Basilicom now. Catch you later." She said and cut the line.

Noire had a bad feeling about this. Things worked too well for them today. That was enough for her to expect that something bad was about to happen.

 **~o~O~o~**

Noire landed on her Basilicom's balcony that leads to her office and reverted her transformation. Inside, there was Neptune and Plutia, waiting patiently for her arrival.

"Noire, are you alright?" Neptune asked as Noire entered the room.

Noire smiled at her. "I'm fine. Don't worry." She said. "I just gave her a short lecture and sent her away. I don't think she'd bother us for a while."

Noire eyed Neptune for a short moment, observing any changes from her. She looked fine from the outside; nothing worth mentioning. She wasn't sure about the inside though…

"Anyways, Noire… We gotta head back to Planeptune... Histy caught up with the news about today's events and she want us to go back..." Plutia said.

Noire frowned. She wanted them to stay for a while but if Histoire wanted them to go home, she wouldn't have a say on it. But wait, stay for a while would be an understatement. She wanted them to stay here until tomorrow.

But that would be impossible now.

"Alright then." Noire said as they stepped out to the balcony. "Take care of Neptune, Plutia." She said after Plutia transformed at carried Neptune.

Plutia noticed Noire's attitude towards Neptune. It was beyond normal, really. She was too overprotective of her, and the reason behind it was only known to Noire herself, and probably Histoire.

"I got it." Plutia said and flew away with Neptune, while the purplette was waving to Noire, and Noire waved back as well.

Plutia would definitely get her answers sooner.

 **~o~O~o~**

There they go.

Noire was left alone on the balcony of her office. Plutia and Neptune just departed back to Planeptune.

She wasted zero time and headed back inside the office, took her phone and made a call. She waited for a few moments before someone picked up the call.

" _Hello? Noire? It's rare for you to call me."_

Noire took a deep breath before speaking. "Histoire. I have a favour to ask of you."

Yes, the person on the other line was Histoire, the one seeing Planeptune's state, and the one guiding the nation, along with their CPU Iris Heart and Purple Heart.

" _Hm? What brought this on? You never ask for favours."_ Histoire asked, seemingly surprised with Noire's sudden request.

Noire didn't know how to respond to that. Did Histoire really had that kind of impression of her? And really, she never asked for any favours?

"W-Well, it's something out of my reach so, please?" Noire said.

Noire could hear Histoire's line from the phone. _"Okay, I'll do my best."_

The ravenette sighed in relief. "It's about Neptune…" She said. "I want you to keep an eye out for her."

" _What happened back there? I know that Lowee's CPU challenged you that it looked like a declaration of war, but it looks like something different had happened."_ Histoire asked.

Noire froze for a bit. Histoire really catches up fast. "A-Ah? No, it was nothing serious." She said. "It's just, Neptune met Lowee's CPU."

Histoire didn't reply for a few moments, and Noire wondered why. _"Not to sound rude but, if may I ask, what's so wrong about a CPU meeting another CPU?"_

"I would like to ask that myself but…" Noire paused for a bit. She indeed felt something weird when she witnessed Neptune looking towards White Heart. "I… I felt fear earlier when they met."

" _Noire… you're just overthinking things. Calm yourself down."_ Histoire suggested. Hell, if Noire could do that, she would've done it ages ago.

Noire swung her head. "I would like to say that to myself as well but, I can't just sit down here and cross my fingers while convincing myself that it was just my mind playing tricks on me." She said. "So, please, Histoire?"

Histoire sighed in defeat. _"Okay, I'll try my hardest."_ She said.

"Thank you." Noire said as she sighed in relief. "Please do tell Plutia to do the same as well."

Histoire agreed on her before Noire ended the call. Still, Noire wasn't really confident that nothing would happen.

She was still hoping, though.

 **~o~O~o~**

The night kicked in.

Noire found herself in her office, doing some work. She couldn't get her mind off Neptune, but worrying about her right now would benefit nobody, so she needed a distraction. She had gotten help from Histoire, who knew Neptune more than her, yet, she couldn't keep herself from thinking about Neptune.

Damn, it looked she was already captivated by that purple goddess. But of course, she hadn't realized that yet as her thoughts were definitely not described as a romantic one.

Who knows, though? Sooner or later, she might realize it.

She couldn't concentrate on her work. Her mind was flying somewhere else. She slumped down on her desk, and sighed, not even bothering if the documents got scattered on the floor.

"Maybe I should sleep now…"

Not sure if she could even sleep, she tidied up her office and headed to her room. She threw herself on the bed and sighed again. She wanted to make sure that nothing would happen to Neptune, but she was out of reach. Heading to Planeptune right at this point of time wouldn't be a good idea, and it would also appear that she didn't trust Histoire enough.

She took her phone. Maybe she could try calling Histoire again and check up on Neptune. She might not see Neptune physically but at the very least, she would know her current condition. She woke her phone up, dialled a number and waited for it to get picked up.

" _Hello, Noire?"_ a voice spoke as the call was picked up. _"I guess I don't need to ask why you called."_

Noire smiled unconsciously. "How's Neptune?"

Histoire's sigh could be heard from the phone, which somehow alerted Noire. _"She started feeling sick after learning that there were eggplants in dinner. She's in her room now, sleeping."_

"Is that so?" Noire seemed to be relieved after hearing Neptune's condition. _'Remind me not to give her anything with eggplants.'_ She thought to herself.

Somehow, she still couldn't shake off that weird feeling from earlier. "Please keep on watching her and don't let them come to Lastation for a while until I make sure that Lowee's CPU will not make a mess anymore."

" _I got it. But Noire…"_ Histoire paused.

Noire wondered why. "What's wrong?"

" _Nevermind. You be careful out there. We wouldn't want to lose you."_ Histoire said and cut the line.

Noire was surprised. It was rare for Histoire to hang up. Usually, or all of the time, the caller was the one hanging up. She wondered why, but it would be rude to call her again just to ask about trivial things.

She's got a bad feeling about this. Either way, there were nothing but bad feelings for her all day.

She then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, hoping that nothing bad happens to Neptune.

 **~o~O~o~**

 ***PHONE RINGS***

Noire tossed and turned on her bed while covering her ears with the pillow as she tried to keep herself from hearing the ringing sound of her phone. After a few seconds, the ringing died down, with Noire unconsciously relieved as it stopped, but then it rang again and drove the sleeping girl crazy.

"Ugh, who might be calling at this point of time?!" Noire finally got up from her bed with her hair completely messed up, and reached for her phone to check who was calling. "…Plutia?"

Yes, it was Plutia, one of the CPUs of Planeptune, and her friend. She found it weird that Plutia was calling her in the middle of night when her specialty was sleeping.

That means…

"Hello, Plutia…? It's two in the morning, you know..." Noire said sleepily after she picked the call up.

On the other line, she could hear the panicking voice of Plutia. _"Noire! Noire…!"_

"Calm the heck down, what's wrong?" Noire asked.

But still, Plutia didn't calm down. It seemed like in their current situation, a complete panic couldn't be evaded. _"Noire…! Neppy is… Neppy is…!"_

After hearing that name, Noire unconsciously dropped her phone down, with her heart racing in fear.

* * *

 **So there's that! Chapter 5!**

 **How's the story going so far guys? Give me your thoughts by dropping your whooping mighty reviews :3**

 **Anyways, I really enjoy (WHAT, ENJOY THEM SUFFERING?), oops, not really, but I do enjoy writing this fic. Plus, your encouragements gives me more motivation to write even though I have a very bad schedule (my day-offs are Thursday and Sundays, and I'm only home during Saturday night until Sunday afternoon and then I'll go back to my boarding house to face reality), so that's it!**

 **I want to thank again everyone who are supporting my story! And I wish you won't get tired with me until the end of the fic! I love you guys!**

 **Until next time, see ya guys~!**


	6. An Inevitable Conjecture

**Hello guys! Time for chapter 6!**

 **I am very sorry that this got delayed. I lost all of my files. That includes all of the soft copies of this fic (good thing I still have it in the site), but the ones that I wasn't able to recover were this chapter and my other upcoming fic, so I had to rewrite everything. Though I pretty much changed most of the contents, but I ain't even mad.**

 **To Author Heart - Ance: [1]Yes, they would appear, but I most probably would just insert them randomly. Because, well, this fic mostly focuses on Neptune's encounters with the other CPUs. [2]I wonder? :) [3] Yes, they do.**

 **To Draen: I originally planned out that there would be less blood but then I asked myself, why not go full violent? Hahaha**

 **To RamzaJinnRuu: Ah, yes, I've noticed that as well as I re-read the chapters. I mostly mistyped them because i and o are damn close in the keyboard. And for some reason, I can't spot some errors in my chapters in MS Word than when I publish it D: But I'll try to keep a close eye for them. And oh, I'm curious about those two authors :)**

 **Anyways, I want to thank everyone who supports this story and my other story, Change The World! Please read it as well :) You won't be disappointed :D**

 **Alright no more chatters, onto the chapter now! Enjoy~**

* * *

Night time had arrived in Planeptune.

Inside Planeptune's Basilicom, Neptune could be seen in the living room, watching TV, while Histoire and Plutia were in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Neptune wanted to help them but Plutia and Histoire insisted that they would be fine. Well, it was one thing, but the real reason was something else. The last time they let Neptune in the kitchen, the horrors they had witnessed were far more terrifying than an apocalypse. She almost spawned the souls of hell inside the pot, and both Histoire and Plutia wouldn't want to see something like that ever again.

Histoire called Neptune as they finished cooking dinner and served the food on the dining table. Neptune immediately jumped out of the sofa and ran towards the dining room. She could smell the food from a distance, and it smelled pleasant to her nose.

"Mmmhm, looks delicious." Neptune said as she sat down on her chair.

Histoire could just make a smug look. "Well, of course." She said. Plutia just smiled at the two and sat down on her chair as well.

"Thanks for the food!" The three said in unison before they started to eat their food.

Neptune took a spoonful of her food directly to her mouth. "Mm, it is indeed delicious!" She said as she chewed on her food. As she continued to do so, she started to taste something different, and made different expressions.

"What's wrong, Neptune?" Histoire asked. She was somewhat irritated at Neptune for making those expression like there was something awful in the food.

Neptune gulped down the food. "No, no, no, there's nothing wrong with the food." Neptune said as she took another spoonful of food and stared at it. "It's just..."

"It's just...?" Histoire raised an eyebrow.

Neptune shoved the spoon in her mouth once more and gave it another taste. "Tell me, what did you girls used for dinner?"

"Well, some simmered diced meat, green beans, pumpkins, and shredded eggplants for-" Histoire interrupted herself as she heard a loud thud. There, they saw Neptune shaking on the floor, covering her mouth, almost like preventing herself from puking.

"Egg...Eggplants... w...why... urgh..."

Histoire and Plutia stared at each other for a while before turning back to Neptune.

"...Neppy... hates eggplants...?" Plutia asked, in which Histoire could just nod in affirmation.

Hate... would be an understatement. A reaction like that can't be described as just a mere hate. It was like, Neptune despised eggplants from its very roots, or wherever it came from, or whatever they're made of.

Plutia and Histoire brought Neptune to the bathroom. They didn't want to clean the floor with barf so they decided to take her there because it looked like Neptune couldn't hold it any longer. Think of it as an act of... uh, concern? Yeah, that must be it.

As Neptune got out of the bathroom, she looked like she was about to collapse. Histoire and Plutia thought that eggplants were like poison to her, and reminded themselves that eggplants in food were out of the question if Neptune were to eat with them. They escorted Neptune back to her room as it looked like she couldn't even walk straight, less likely act normally. As Neptune fell asleep, Histoire called Plutia to come with her outside.

Plutia followed Histoire to the living room and asked, "...What's up, Histy...?"

"It's about Neptune..."

 **~o~O~o~**

2 o'clock in the morning.

Plutia opened her eyes as she woke up. For her to wake up at a time like this, it looked like a bad omen to her since napping was something she was good at. She slipped out of her bed and searched for the light switch. She then flicked the lights open, and saw that the windows were open.

"...Did I forget to close it...?" Somehow, she couldn't remember. She turned back to the bed, and noticed that Neptune wasn't there.

Oh, by the way, yes, Neptune and Plutia was sharing the same room. It was Plutia's another condition if Neptune were to stay in the Basilicom, and Neptune agreed to it because of... reasons. Besides, she's got nothing to lose anyway.

"...Maybe she went to the toilet..." She mumbled to herself.

But Neptune wasn't there when Plutia arrived. She looked for her in the kitchen, the living room, and the dining room, but she was nowhere to be found.

She's got a bad feeling about this.

She ran back in her room and saw the open windows once more. Putting the pieces together, Plutia had the worst thought of where Neptune could've gone to. Worst that she ran back downstairs to the living room and dialed a number as she picked the phone up. She waited for a few moments before someone picked the call up.

 _"Hello, Plutia…? It's two in the morning, you know..."_

Plutia was panicking. "Noire! Noire...!" All she could say was Noire's name.

 _"Calm the heck down, what's wrong?"_ Noire asked from the other side.

If Plutia could calm herself down, she would've done so ages ago. But she couldn't. "Noire…! Neppy is… Neppy is…!" She said as she tried to catch her breathing. She got it, almost. Yeah, almost.

Afterwards, Plutia heard a thud sound. A sound like an object was dropped.

"Neppy is gone!"

 **~o~O~o~**

Noire couldn't believe it. She just couldn't. She knew that her 'bad feeling' she had could happen, yet she didn't do anything to prevent it. And now, Neptune had gone to somewhere she absolutely must not go.

 _"-NOIRE!"_

She snapped back as heard a scream from the phone she just dropped and panicky looked for it and picked it up. "Y-Yeah?"

 _"...What are we going to do now...?"_

Noire took a deep breath before speaking again. "Meet me at the border where we encountered White Heart. As soon as possible." She said and hung up. She knew what needed to be done.

Neptune must be stopped at all cost, before _she_ takes over.

Noire wasted no time and immediately went out of the Basilicom. Her destination was the Lowee-Lastation border. In no less than ten minutes, she was already at the rendezvous point, but Plutia was nowhere to be found. She understood that, since Planeptune was really far from this place. She waited for a few minutes and Plutia, in her HDD form, Iris Heart, had arrived.

"Let's go, I'll fill you in as we fly to Lowee." Noire said and flew upwards, followed by Plutia.

The Planeptune CPU matched Noire's flying speed side by side. "Why to Lowee?" She asked.

"I am not really sure, but I've just got this feeling that Neptune's target is White Heart." Noire said and bit her lip.

Plutia narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Noire was definitely not telling her everything. "Is there something you're not telling me, Noire?"

Noire bit her lip once more. Well, she promised Plutia that she would tell her everything, but in all honesty, she was still doubting herself if telling her was a good idea, since she didn't have anything to do with Neptune.

But Plutia was a friend. A dear friend, to her and to Neptune. She had every right to know.

"Did you know why I was always against to the idea of Neptune transforming?" Noire asked.

Plutia didn't understand why Noire was asking that now, but she felt that there was something more than what she just knew about the current topic. "Because her personality changes to a bloodthirsty goddess?" Plutia answered.

Well, technically, she was correct. But not really correct.

"I'm not sure if that is the right term, but we'll roll with that." Noire said. "It's not just all. Histoire managed to find out why Neptune acts like that." She continued.

"I'm listening."

Noire took a deep breath before talking again. "Back in her world... Neptune... was cast away." Even though Noire didn't really see it with her eyes unlike Histoire did, it was still a painful thing to remember. Well, technically, the four of them hated each other's guts, that was for sure. But for Neptune's enemies to team up to take her down, wasn't that unfair?

"By whom?" Plutia asked.

Noire shook her head a little, trying to clear her mind. "By 'me', possibly the counterpart of White Heart as well, and another CPU that we didn't know."

Plutia understood what Noire meant. Noire's and White Heart's counterparts, and another unknown CPU. She also learned that, she herself didn't exist in Neptune's world, which kinda made her sad, but that was not the concern. If there was this 'another CPU' that they didn't know, it meant that that CPU should also exist in this world.

And by her existing, meant that there was another nation as well. A nation that they hadn't found yet, or maybe hadn't announced their foundation yet.

"Looks like we'll have to do a thorough research after all of this is resolved." Plutia said.

Noire nodded in agreement. "I couldn't agree more."

 **~o~O~o~**

Lowee's Basilicom.

Inside a certain room, a young (technically) girl was sitting at the kotatsu table placed in the center of the room. She was doing... well, she had a book on her hand, and her eyes were following every single word written on it. Her expression never changed as she flipped the pages of the book, but it wasn't like the book didn't interest her. It was just like, she never really showed her emotions outside except when being pissed off.

It was already past two in the morning, yet she didn't find herself on her bed yet. For some reason, she couldn't sleep. Her mind didn't want to shut down, even though she herself wanted to hit the comfy bed already.

She's got a bad feeling about this.

She shook her head. She must be just overthinking things. Yeah, that must be the reason. Mostly because of the continuous loss of faith of the Lowee Citizens on her. She could remember what Black Heart said to her, and it kept on repeating inside her mind as well.

 _"Then do something good that will make your people not lose faith on you."_

That one sentence struck the very conscience of the girl. She knew what she had done; what she did to drive her people further away from her.

She knew it.

And it hurt her.

What could've gotten into her? What could've happened that made her like this? She wasn't like this before. Lowee stood up for many years and not a single time that something like this happened before.

Or so she thought.

"Damn it...!" She said as she shut her book down and threw it to the door. She seriously didn't want to hear it from that woman. Being lectured about basic stuff, was something she didn't want to find herself in.

But she did.

"..."

She noticed something. She didn't hear the sound of the book colliding with the door. She brought her eyes to the direction where she threw her book and saw someone at the door, holding the said object on her hand. She was also holding a dark purple katana, and wearing the suit with the same color.

"Who the fuck are you?" She asked in a hostile tone. She wondered what the hell were the guards doing at late night that this person managed to break inside the Basilicom. She also noticed that this person wasn't having a friendly aura, and so she kept her guard up.

The person at the door grinned. It was a little dark in the room, but she definitely grinned, and the young girl could see it. "...I've finally found you, Blanc."

Blanc shivered. She could feel an intense murderous aura emanating from this person. With that katana on her hand, Blanc couldn't feel anything but danger. But of course, it didn't make her scared.

"You didn't answer the Goddess damn question." Blanc said as she stood up and transformed.

The person pointed her katana to Blanc. "...Purple Heart." Purple Heart introduced. "...But you don't need to remember it, because you're going to die tonight." She said and dashed to Blanc without warning, aiming her neck.

Blanc, in her HDD form, White Heart, barely managed to avoid that attack by bending her body backwards and using the handle of her axe to parry Purple Heart's katana. Blanc's table was shattered into pieces and the floor cracked as their weapons clashed.

'She's too fast...!' Blanc thought to herself and then she spun around along with her weapon to repel her opponent. She then followed Purple Heart and swung her axe towards her, aiming for her lower body, but only to be parried effortlessly by her opponent.

White Heart kept on attacking Purple Heart, not giving her a breathing room. But her attacks were all parried easily. The reason why she didn't stop was because if there was one second that Purple Heart manages to slip under her sight, Blanc's a dead person. She barely dodged Purple Heart's first attack, and she knew that a second one would not end very well.

But if this kept on going, it was her who was going to break first.

She could feel her breathing getting heavier by the second and every time she delivered her attacks. But Purple Heart didn't seem to have broken a sweat yet.

 **~o~O~o~**

Plutia and Noire arrived at Lowee's Basilicom not too long ago. The place was like a castle, and somehow designed like a maze. But they've got no time to waste to explore this area and just floated above the ground. They didn't bother breaking in stealthily because the area was guarded lightly, no, completely unguarded. They could see unconscious people lying on the ground, scattered around the area. It was completely weird, for all of them to be at this state. Plutia dropped down to the ground and checked the vitals of some unconscious guards, and sighed in relief.

"They're just knocked out." Plutia said.

Noire sighed in relief as well after hearing that. "Then we're not yet too late."

"Too late for what?" Plutia asked in confusion.

"To stop Neptune from murdering White Heart."

Plutia didn't say anything in return. Noire wasn't kidding. She herself could see that, and she understood that well. But the reason why Noire wanted to save Lowee's CPU didn't really make sense to her. Well, yeah, it would be better if they had one less competitor, but Noire didn't see that as an opportunity, if that could be called one, that is.

The longer they stayed in the area, the louder they hear the sound of the metals clashing from afar. And it wasn't too long before they arrived at the source of the sound, in which surprisingly didn't surprise the two CPUs.

 **~o~O~o~**

Inside Lowee's Interior Castle, two persons exchanging blows and rooms getting destroyed in the process could be seen. One could tell that they had been going on with whatever they were fighting for for a while now, as a few meters radius around them were already in ruins. They had been clashing their weapons nonstop, and sparks of the metals were flying around them, along with the shock of the impacts destroying the objects around them.

"You're quite the persistent one, aren't 'ya?!" The girl with blue hair, White Heart, wielding a giant axe, said as she spun around and swung her weapon to cut her opponent in half, but her attack was parried by her enemy's katana. "That's not gonna help you, bitch!"

"...!" Her opponent's eyes widened in surprise.

White Heart then gripped on her axe tighter, and placed all of her strength in her arms to deliver a heavy swing. Her opponent then was blown away, colliding with multiple walls as she successfully pushed her away with her axe.

"I'm not done yet!" She said as she gave chase, but in an instant, her opponent disappeared from her sight.

'Where the hell did she go?' White Heart held on her axe defensively. "Come out, Purple... whatever the fuck your name is, don't be a coward!" She provoked.

White Heart knew what kind of position she was in. Her opponent was too fast for her, and one slip up could end her life in an instant. And so, she cleared her mind of everything and focused on her surroundings, trying to predict where Purple Heart would strike.

Something was off. She could feel something coming on her way, but it wasn't a living thing. She observed her surroundings, but she saw nothing but rubble around.

"..."

If it wasn't around her, then it would be...

"...!"

She stomped her foot on the ground and catapulted herself to midair away from the ground. After a few seconds, a huge sword dropped down to where she was previously, and a giant pillar of light appeared, removing everything it touched from its very existence.

White Heart could just stare at the scene in front of her in shock. She would definitely be a goner if she got caught in that. But the bigger problem was, Purple Heart was still nowhere to be found. And before she realized that, she felt a kick from her back and got dropped down to the ground.

"GUAAAHHH-!" White Heart groaned in pain as she felt her body crash onto the ground. Purple Heart then dashed towards White Heart with her katana directed towards the Lowee CPU, but it was evaded by White Heart by rolling to the side as Purple Heart attempted to stab her back.

Purple Heart pulled her katana out of the ground and delivered a slash attack to White Heart, who was still on the ground. The goddess of white blocked the attack using her axe's handle.

"...Ngh-!" White Heart struggled as she tried to keep Purple Heart's katana from reaching her neck.

Purple Heart then smirked as she pushed her katana more, closing the gap between her weapon and White Heart's neck. "...So... you're useless when you're not with them, Blanc."

"The fuck's that supposed to mean?" White Heart was at loss. She didn't know what Purple Heart was talking about. Firstly, she was suddenly attacked by this psycho. And now, she was talking nonsense about her somewhat like allying with someone she didn't even know who.

But Purple Heart didn't answer her question and instead had taken White Heart into surprise by grabbing on her axe. "Wha-?!" White Heart panicked as her weapon was taken away from her grips and then got chucked far away from their location.

She tried to use her feet to kick Purple Heart away but the Goddess of Purple knew what she was up to and pinned White Heart down to the ground.

Purple Heart pointed her Katana to White Heart, directly to her neck. She then pushed her weapon down to pierce the neck, but White Heart used both of her hands to grab on the blade and shoved it to the side instead as she ignored the pain when the sharp edge of the katana slid on her palm.

"...Not bad."

The Goddess of Purple let go of her weapon and grabbed White Heart's hand. She then slammed her hands on the ground, resulting to almost breaking White Heart's arms. White Heart groaned in pain as she lost the strength of her arms, but Purple Heart didn't stop there. She summoned two small 32-bit X Blades on both of her hands and stabbed them on White Heart's palms.

"AAAGGGHH-!" White Heart grunted in pain as she felt the blades pierce through her hands. She tried to move her hands but she felt more pain as the blades pierced through her palms were stabbed to the ground as well, locking them in place.

White Heart glared at Purple Heart, who wasn't even intimidated in the slightest. The purple goddess then pulled out her sword from the ground and licked the blunt edge of the blade. "...Are you prepared to die?"

"You bitch...!" White Heart tried to move her hands once more, but intense pain rushed through her whole arm that made her stop as her palm slid through the blade, and it didn't even budge. The blade was completely stuck to the ground and it can't be removed unless someone other than her would.

Purple Heart smirked. "...I guess it would be no fun to kill you immediately." She then pointed her katana to White Heart's right shoulder and stabbed it hard.

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH-!" White Heart groaned in pain as she felt the blade pierce through her shoulder.

But it didn't end there. Purple Heart twisted her hands, drilling the katana through White Heart's flesh, and earning a louder cry of pain from her. White Heart winced as Purple Heart kept on drilling her shoulder, which resulted to more blood flowing out as the katana made a hole out of the goddess of white's shoulder. White Heart could slowly feel her consciousness slipping away as her eyes were gaining more and more weight. The pain were so intense that she also started to feel numb from her upper body.

"Haah... Haah..." White Heart's breathing got heavier as Purple Heart continued to drill her katana on her shoulder. Her vision was getting blurry as well, and the pain was not even helping on keeping her awake.

Purple Heart was amused with the reactions she was getting from her victim. Torturing her felt satisfying, but it still wasn't enough. She wanted to hear more of her screams. She then pulled her katana out of White Heart's right shoulder. Blanc sighed in relief as the blade was taken out, but then she felt another stab on her other shoulder.

"AAAAAAGGGHHH-!" She groaned in pain as the blade pierced through her flesh once more. She couldn't take this anymore. She was almost losing consciousness from the torment she was receiving.

Purple Heart mused at White Heart's despair. "...More, Blanc! Scream more! I want to hear more of it!" She said as she drilled her katana to Blanc's shoulder.

Blanc's cries echoed around the area as Purple Heart kept on torturing her. Her tears were sustaining Purple Heart as she was feeling pleasure from her suffering. Blanc's vision was growing dark and her whole body was burning hot. She was trying to keep her consciousness as well as keeping her HDD form active, but it was putting more stress on her body.

But when she was about to faint, she felt the blade got pulled out of her body, which made her eyes shot open. There, she saw a familiar face; a face that she didn't expect to come here. The face of the same woman that she hated for knocking the obvious thing out of her.

Black Heart.

The CPU of Lastation, Black Heart, was in front of her. She was locking swords with Purple Heart.

"...You..." Blanc mustered all of her strength and called the person who just arrived on her aid, or so she thought.

Black Heart didn't even look at her way. "Don't. I didn't come here to save you." She said as she swung her sword, pushing Purple Heart away. "So don't bother thinking that you owe me one." She then flew up and chased Purple Heart.

After a short moment, Iris Heart arrived at Blanc's aid. She didn't say anything and just healed Blanc's wounds after removing the blades pierced through her palms, but they were too deep that she had a hard time closing all of it before Blanc reverted her transformation and fainted. Nevertheless, Iris Heart continued to heal all of the young girl's wounds until no more visible marks could be seen on her body.

 **~o~O~o~**

"...Noire~"

Noire was just there, floating few meters away from Neptune, in her HDD form, Purple Heart. From her perspective, it didn't look like Neptune was having a friendly aura around her, and so she held on her sword tightly.

"...Perfect timing. I'd play with you before I finish Blanc off." Neptune said playfully as she readied her katana. "...You better get ready."

But Noire didn't budge nor said a single word, which somehow unnerved the purple goddess. She didn't know what Noire was thinking, or even if she had a plan in her mind.

"..." Neptune just glared at Noire.

Noire still didn't move an inch. Neptune was growing impatient but when she was about to move, Noire opened her mouth.

"Come at me, Neptune." She said.

Neptune then didn't waste a single second and dashed towards Noire. She aimed her katana at Noire's abdomen. As she got closer, Noire spun around in a split second and did an uppercut slash which was aimed at Neptune's katana. Neptune was surprised as she saw her weapon flew up to the skies, unable to process what just happened.

"...What..." Neptune could just stare at Noire's eyes as her katana landed to the ground. Noire was just doing the same as well, not attempting to attack her or anything. "...Why, you're not going to attack?"

But Noire didn't say a word. Neptune took this as an opportunity and retreated back to get her weapon. She had expected Noire to follow her but no, she just stayed at her position, even after she retrieved her katana. Neptune dashed once more to Noire, with her katana's tip aimed at Noire's heart, but as she got closer, Noire ducked in a heartbeat, stepping sidewards and slammed her sword downward, colliding with Neptune's weapon, intentionally disarming the purple goddess.

Neptune stopped as she found her weapon on the ground. She had no idea what was going on. She definitely could see Noire's movements, but she couldn't understand it. No, that wasn't right. Her mind could not process Noire's movements at all, despite it being clear as just a plain move. Noire stepped back a bit, gaining a little distance from the purple goddess. She couldn't take the risk of hurting Neptune, not in the slightest bit. Whatever she must do to stop her, she would not give her a single injury.

"If you're still raring to go, come at me then, Neptune. I'll welcome you with open arms."

 **~o~O~o~**

"..."

Blanc opened slowly opened her eyes as she regained her consciousness. She could feel that she was leaning on something soft. As she regained her vision, she saw an unfamiliar face. There, a woman with dark purple hair, and violet eyes, staring at her with a smile on her face. She then realized that she was lying on this person's lap, which made her blush a little.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

Blanc could not say anything. It seemed like her voice wasn't working properly yet. But she could feel less pain now, and she could move her arms properly. She then nodded as a reply.

"I'll take that as a yes." The woman said. "I'm Iris Heart, the CPU of Planeptune." Iris Heart introduced.

With that statement, Blanc's eyes shot wide and she instantly rose up, but she felt an intense feeling of pain rush up on her upper body as she did so, which made her wince. "Don't attempt to move rashly, I may have closed your wounds, but you still would feel the pain." Iris Heart said. "Don't worry, I have nothing against you."

Blanc wasn't sure if she could believe what Iris Heart just said, but she didn't have the strength to ask, and so she just assumed that she was telling the truth.

"But... can you do me a favor?" Iris Heart asked.

Blanc turned to her. She then saw a serious expression from Iris Heart. Blanc nodded, implying that she was ready to listen to her request.

Iris Heart pointed towards something... or someone. Blanc turned her attention to where she was pointing and saw Noire, with Neptune constantly attacking her and every time she did, she always got her weapon disarmed from her. Blanc wondered what in Gamindustri was going on, and her thoughts were completely readable to Iris Heart.

"I want you to understand that... Neppy didn't mean to do everything she did to you." Iris Heart said with an expression of pity as she stared at Neptune from afar. But it didn't make sense to Blanc. She didn't who this Neppy was but she could only assume that it was Purple Heart because she was trying to defend her.

"...W-What do... you mean...?" Blanc asked as she finally recovered her voice, but it still had cracks that made her stutter a bit.

Iris Heart grabbed Blanc's hands, which made the young girl shiver a bit. Despite her calm and worrisome composure, there was something that Blanc could feel from her, and it didn't look like a pleasant one. But she didn't dare to find out.

"That girl... she is not who who she is right now..." Iris Heart paused. "No, that isn't correct. She is who she _used_ to be right now."

Blanc tilted her head in confusion. She still couldn't get what Iris Heart was saying, and the more she talked, the less sense she could make from her words. "...I'm not sure if I follow..."

Iris Heart sighed. Looks like she'd do all the talking. "Long story short, Neppy is not from this world." She said. "When she arrived here, she had lost her memories. She recovered them when she became a CPU fifteen years ago."

"...Fifteen years ago?!" Blanc was surprised. It was new to her. She only knew that there was one nation founded that time, and that means one CPU had been inaugurated. But to think that there were actually two CPUs, it came like a wrecking ball to Blanc. "...How have I not heard of that?"

"Because Neppy did not create a nation for herself. She is staying with me in Planeptune." Iris Heart said. "But that's not our concern right now. Our problem is that her memories most probably involve you."

Blanc raised an eyebrow. She could think a thing or two about what Iris Heart was saying. "...So in other words... I-" She paused.

"You guessed it right. You also exist in the world where she came from." Iris Heart said.

That made sense to Blanc. Because Purple Heart... knew her name on their first encounter. But what she didn't understand was why Purple Heart suddenly wanted to take her life so bad. She wondered what 'she' had done to Purple Heart back in her world. And yet again, she could only think of a single thing.

"She was cast away, by Noire's counterpart... or you might know her as Black Heart, your counterpart as well, and another CPU that we don't know." Iris Heart said as she let go of Blanc's hands. "Fret not, I am not that CPU, because Neppy... Purple Heart did not recognize me at all."

So that was the reason why Purple Heart wanted to take her head, was what Blanc thought. It would make sense, really. If 'she' had done something bad to Purple Heart before, it would be normal for her to exact revenge on Blanc. "... So this Purple Heart cannot distinguish her world from this world?"

Iris Heart swung her head. She somehow looked guilty in Blanc's eyes, and wondered why. "No... it's not like that. Purple Heart... or Neptune does not even know that she isn't in her world."

"Why, you didn't tell her?" Blanc asked.

Iris Heart bit her lip. "We're afraid that Neppy would feel like she didn't belong in this world. And we're afraid what could happen if she really would feel like that once she finds out, that's why we're hiding it from her for fifteen years and counting. And we didn't know who should we tell... if Neppy... or Purple Heart."

Blanc was at loss of words. She didn't know why Iris Heart was separating 'Neptune' and 'Purple Heart', but she didn't bother asking. To her, it was completely their fault why Purple Heart was acting like that, and if they should've told her the truth, she wouldn't have been attacked tonight. But she wasn't so heartless to blame them about her dilemma right now. Iris Heart and her friends did it to keep Neptune from feeling isolated, which could offer up many troubles if she did know that she wasn't from this world.

"I understand. But seriously, you have to tell her that. She has every right to know." Blanc said. "You must tell her that or it could go worse."

"I know... I know that. I plan to tell her everything after all of these are resolved." Iris Heart said as she bit her lip. "But for now, I ask of you. Please bring Neppy back. You guys are the only ones who can do that."

Blanc stood up and transformed. "I'll see what I can do." She said and flew up to the skies.

Iris Heart could just stare at her and wish her good luck.

 **~o~O~o~**

"...Kuh-!" Purple Heart got pushed away as her katana got disarmed from her and flew up to the skies when her attacked got countered by Black Heart. It had been going on like that for a while now, and she could not even land a single hit to her. She knew that Black Heart wanted to break her morale, but she was far too naive if she would believe that she could break her.

"You're done yet?" Black Heart asked as she stared at Purple Heart, who just retreated to recover her weapon. "I guess not. Well the-" She interrupted herself as she felt that someone was coming on her way. She looked behind her and saw White Heart flying towards her direction.

"Are you feeling better?" Black Heart asked as White Heart arrived near her.

White Heart sighed and scratched her head. "Yeah, and thanks to you idiotic duo, I got dragged into something I wished I didn't." She said.

Black Heart assumed that Plutia told her about everything. She wondered what the hell Plutia was thinking for telling her about Neptune's condition, but this wasn't the time for thinking about that. Bringing Neptune back was the top priority.

"So, I guess I need not to say anything to you anymore." Black Heart said as she turned back to Neptune.

"You guys should owe me a whole lot for this thing." White Heart said as she turned to Purple Heart as well. "But, I guess we're even now."

Noire could've sworn that she told her that she didn't come here to save her, but oh well, she didn't have the energy to argue with her.

Purple Heart didn't seem to be pleased with what she was seeing. "...So, teaming up against me again, huh? What a bunch of cowards." Purple Heart said, but Black Heart and White Heart did not say anything as they just stared at her, seemingly in sync together, like they know what the other was thinking. "...But don't think that it would be the same as before."

"Bring it on then, Neptune."

"Come at me, Purple Heart."

Purple Heart readied her weapon. "...Don't say I didn't warn you!" She then dashed towards the two.

But still, Black Heart and White Heart did not move a single bit. She tried to circle around them but the two were just following her with their eyes.

It was like, they were playing with her.

With that thought, she had grown more angry at them and dashed to the at the front. She was expecting that her attack would be countered once again but then as she was few feet from the two, they threw their weapon forward, surprising her.

"Wha-?" Purple Heart was staggered with their sudden actions. And after a short while, Black Heart and White Heart dashed to her.

She let her guard down. She thought that she had predicted their move, but she didn't. In the end, history would repeat itself, was what she thought at that time. The distance between them were too small for her to block or evade whatever attack they were about throw.

She closed her eyes and waited for a strike to her body. But she felt no pain at all and instead, she felt something wrapped around her. She opened her eyes and saw that her opponents were very close to her, and she could feel herself in their arms.

"...What..."

She didn't know why, but she was starting to lose her strength. As she finally lost her strength, she unconsciously let go of her katana and it fell down to the ground. Once again, she didn't know why, but she felt comfortable from their embrace.

"..."

Purple Heart's _memories_ started to get overlapped by another _memory_ the more she stayed with them. Her mind was getting conflicted, as various images started to mix in her head.

"..."

And then finally...

"...Noire...?" Purple Heart muttered.

Black Heart's eyes widened as she heard Purple Heart call her name. "Neptune?!" She said as she looked at Purple Heart's face, whose eyes were filled with tears. "Neptune!" She then hugged her tighter.

Blanc then let go of Neptune, to give them some personal space as she really felt out of place there. Looks like all's well now.

Or so she thought.

As Noire let go of Neptune, the purplette saw Blanc beside them and in an instant, she pushed Noire away and grabbed Blanc by her neck.

"Wha-?! Neptune?!" Noire was surprised as she got pushed away. She then saw Neptune choking Blanc. "Neptune, stop-!"

Noire was about to pull Neptune away from Blanc but she stopped as she saw Blanc's hand gestured her hand to stop the Lastation CPU. She didn't understand why would Blanc stop her from saving her, but nonetheless she complied with her request.

 **~o~O~o~**

Blanc knew that she was being choked to death. She knew it, but she did not do anything to stop it. This was an opportunity for her as well. She knew that just bringing Neptune back would not solve anything. She had to do it, for Neptune and for herself.

She hoped to herself that she would hold out.

"...You k-know... I won't... be delusional... for you to... believe me... if I say t-that... it wasn't... me-" Blanc stuttered as the chokes were getting tighter, almost destroying her neck, but she couldn't care less.

Neptune just gritted her teeth as she glared at Blanc and choked her tighter. Noire was about to intervene once more but Blanc signaled her to stop.

"...Kill me... right now... if that is... your wish..." Blanc said between her chokes. She couldn't breathe anymore, and the pain from Neptune's grips wasn't helping at all. "...B-But... I can... guarantee you... you... won't be satisfied... if you... do..."

With that said, Neptune's grips on Blanc's neck loosened and eventually let go of her. Blanc coughed hard and tried to catch her breathing, while Neptune was holding her head, groaning.

"Waaaaaaaahhhhhhh-!"

Noire was about to move to Neptune and give her a hug, but Blanc beat her to it first, so she stopped and let her have Neptune for now. Though she felt a slight pain in her chest as she stared at them, in which she didn't know why. She just gripped on it, hoping that it would ease the pain, but it didn't.

Blanc caressed Neptune's hair as the purple goddess cries continued. She hadn't had the slightest idea about what she should say to her, so she just kept her mouth shut. Though to her, it was a little soothing when someone was close to her. She never had anyone who were personally close to her, and so having Neptune in her arms was somewhat... blissful.

After a few minutes, Neptune's cries finally died down, reverted her transformation, and fell asleep. Blanc slowly levitated towards Noire and gave Neptune to her. Noire then carried Neptune on her arms back to where Iris Heart was staying, which made her sighed in relief as she learned that Neptune's safe and sound... and Blanc as well, of course.

Well, in any case, they could proudly say that this had ended well, if not peacefully.

 **~o~O~o~**

After that incident in Lowee, Neptune had been unconscious for a while. During her sleep, Noire and Plutia bailed out of Lowee and went back to Planeptune to keep Neptune safe. Noire requested Plutia to never leave her side until she comes back, as she knew Neptune would look for either the three of them when she wakes up.

And, five days have passed.

Lowee's Basilicom was back in its perfect condition. With the help of Lastation, of course. Noire had lent Blanc some of her laborers to hasten the repairs of her Basilicom, of course, out of goodwill. It should be Planeptune's responsibility for the damage they caused to Lowee, because Neptune was considered as a Planeptune CPU, but Noire took it as an opportunity to build a good relationship with Lowee. In any case, she didn't think Planeptune could offer some nice services anyway.

And now, a good trading policy has been established between Lastation and Lowee. Blanc had also dismissed the Seven Sages (though she hadn't met all of them yet) out of her Basilicom for good, because Noire knew about them and Blanc learned that there was more than meets the eye on them. So, she placed her trust on Noire instead.

After everything was good, Noire and Blanc set forth to Planeptune to visit Neptune and Plutia. Noire hadn't seen both of them for days, and she admitted to herself that she missed them. As for Blanc, well, let's just say, she wanted to check up on Neptune.

As they arrived in front of Planeptune's Basilicom, they wasted no second and immediately headed to Plutia's room, with Noire leading the way. It was Blanc's first time in somebody else's Basilicom, and it kinda made her anxious. Noire knocked on the door twice before opening it slowly. "...Neptune...? Plutia...?"

Before Noire could fully open the door, it was already blasted open by someone and she got tackled to the ground, which surprised both Blanc and Noire herself.

"Noire...!"

That voice made Noire's worries go away. It has been days since she last heard her voice, and it gave her a pleasant feeling. "How are you, Neptune?" Noire asked as she caressed Neptune's hair. Blanc just stood there, doing nothing.

"I've missed you, Noire!" Neptune said as she cuddled on Noire's chest.

Noire sighed. "Come on, I haven't been gone for that long, you know." Noire said as she pulled Neptune up and sat up as well.

"But me and Plutie feels lonely without you here!"

Noire blushed a little after hearing that. Oh, how long she had wished that someone would say that to her. But no, this wasn't the time for daydreaming! "R-Really...? I-"

Blanc coughed to get their attention. Too much unnecessary PDA was displayed in front of her, and her eyes can't stand it. And also... she wanted to talk to Neptune. She wanted to clear everything before anything else.

"...Blanc..." Neptune called as she turned to the Lowee CPU. Noire broke away from Neptune and went inside the room to give the two some space as she knew Blanc wanted to talk to Neptune alone.

Blanc then sat down in front of Neptune and waited for her to talk. Blanc thought that it would be a bad start if she would initiate the talk, since despite she wanted to speak with her, she didn't know what to say to her exactly.

"..."

But Neptune did not talk. They were wasting precious time there by just staring at each other's eyes.

Blanc sighed. "Okay. I want you to be fairly honest with me." She said as she sat up straight. "What did I do wrong? I will apologize if I did something."

That question surprised Neptune. It was so direct that she found herself nervous all of a sudden. But the answer to her question? She couldn't find it.

"I... don't know... I can't remember..." Neptune said. "I just... had this urge before... when I saw you..."

Blanc could somehow get the gist of Neptune's condition. If she were to guess it right, Neptune and Purple Heart's memories _weren't_ shared, but either of them can interfere with the other. That would explain why she stopped attacking them when she and Noire hugged her that time.

"But why are you not attacking me right now?" Blanc asked boldly. That was a dangerous question, really.

Neptune did not say a word. She wondered why, indeed. She didn't feel that urge right now, even if Blanc was already in front of her. She just swung her head in disagreement, which made Blanc sigh in disappointment.

Well, there was no use in prying when the subject herself couldn't give answers.

 **~o~O~o~**

Noire closed the door as she got inside Plutia's room. There, she saw Plutia at the bed, with Histoire beside her.

"Where is Neptune and Blanc?" Histoire asked as she only saw Noire enter the room.

Noire just pointed her thumb at the door. "I gave them some personal space. Seems like they want to talk to each other."

"Perfect. Noire, please lock the door for a moment. I want neither of them to hear what I am about to say." Histoire said.

Noire complied with her request and locked the door. She wondered why in good Gamindustri Histoire didn't want them to hear it. Well, she could understand if it was only Blanc, but Neptune as well? Either way, she kept her mouth shut and waited for Histoire to talk.

"I have a bad news and a good news for you, which one would you like to hear first?" Histoire asked as she made a V sign with her fingers.

Now that was something not really reassuring. "Surprise me." Noire said.

"Good news it is, then." Histoire said as she sighed. "It seems like Neptune and _Purple Heart_ do not share the same memories."

Noire raised an eyebrow after hearing that. It didn't make sense to her, because judging from her past observations, what Histoire said was the complete opposite. "Are you sure about that, Histoire?"

"Yes. I am 100% positive." Histoire said. She wondered why Noire was so doubtful of her, until she realized that she hadn't said everything yet. "Oh, I see now why you asked that."

"Either of them can interfere with the other, but it puts a strain in her mind because... the host's memories were constantly getting overlapped every time an interference happens." Histoire explained.

Noire made an 'Ah' expression as she heard Histoire's answer. That made sense to her now. What Histoire just said was accurate, as it explained why 'Neptune' can talk to Noire in her HDD form, and _that certain night_ as well. Noire seriously wanted to forget that incident, as it just gave her nothing but nightmare.

That also would disprove Noire's hypothesis before that Neptune knew that she and the Noire in her memories were two different people. It was just, _Neptune's_ memories resurfaced, which contained the memories of her in this dimension.

She then nodded in affirmation as she confirmed the facts true.

"And the bad news is?" Noire asked.

Histoire tapped Plutia's shoulder and then looked at Noire in the eyes. "I've discovered that there was really a hidden nation, and also, a CPU governing it."

Noire's eyes widened. Plutia didn't seem to be surprised as she might've known it already.

But Noire didn't understand why would that be a bad thing. "Why is that a bad thing?" She asked.

"..."

"What..." was the only word Noire could say after hearing Histoire's answer.

* * *

 **There we go! Chapter 6!**

 **Whoa, that was fairly long, if I may say. I didn't really intend to lengthen it but, I dunno, it just happened like that. Can't do jack about it, lol.**

 **Anyways, that's it for Blanc's Arc! Next is Vert's Arc!**

 **What do you guys think of the story right now? Please drop your comments and reactions! It would really help me improve my writing!**

 **And if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask me! Though if it didn't get answered by me, your question could spoil the future chapters, so that's that!**

 **Until next time, see ya guys! HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS!**


	7. An Inevitable Danger

**Hello guys! Eraviel here! Time for Chapter 7!**

 **Wow, the story has gone so far now, I couldn't believe it xD I'm also receiving positive feedbacks from you guys, I love it xD**

 **I also said in my facebook page if you are dropping by there that I might not update anything until late feb to march. That would be, if I would lengthen this chapter. I placed the reason at the bottom of the chapter :)**

 **Anyways, to answer your questions:**

 **To Draen: Nope. Purple Heart does not enter Neptune's soul and vice versa. Well, think of it as Purple Heart and Neptune are two different personalities. When one is trying to interfere with the other, or trying to takeover the body, both of them can see each other's memories temporarily, until the body is taken over.**

 **To Sasha37: I don't know about that, but she will get an important part next arc, uh, this arc! :D**

 **To Guest: Yep. She is present, and so IF and Compa. They will appear in this arc. But since the timetable is changed, the sequence of events is changed, err, not really, but somehow "moved".**

 **Okay, no more chatters! I want to say thank you again to everyone supporting my story! You guys are the best!**

 **Onto the chapter now, enjoy~**

* * *

 _"Why is that a bad thing?" Noire asked._

 _Histoire just told her that she just discovered the hidden nation, and there existed another CPU. That CPU must be the last CPU from Neptune's memories that they hadn't met yet. Noire had thought a thing or two about why that discovery was a bad thing, but neither of the two was correct as Histoire answered her question._

 _"I've discovered that few days ago as the scout I sent to explore unknown islands came back and reported this to me." Histoire said and sighed. "Though what happened afterwards surprised me."_

 _Noire had a bad feeling about it._

 _"She personally visited me here this morning, and gave me this." Histoire said as she took an envelope buried in the pages of her tome. "I did not expect her to see here in the Basilicom, let alone break inside."_

 _Noire took the envelope from Histoire's hand. "What's inside?" She asked as she stared at the object. There was nothing written on the front and back. Just a plain envelope._

 _"You should read it yourself... and you as well, Plutia. I've already seen the contents..." Histoire said worryingly. "...You're definitely not going to like it, but I beg you two to keep yourself calm."_

 _Okay, that wasn't really reassuring. Noire stared at the envelope for a few seconds before opening it. There was a letter inside, addressed to nobody particularly, but she knew to herself that it was addressed to 'them'. The letter said:_

 _ **So, is 'that' all you four were capable of? In that case, I can easily take care of you. ;)**_

 _Plutia's eyes widened and Noire clenched her fists tighter after reading the letter. That CPU was watching them all the time! Noire couldn't believe it that she hadn't even noticed her!_

 _"She's declaring war to Planeptune, Lastation, and Lowee."_

 **~o~O~o~**

"What..." Noire said after hearing Histoire's answer. She couldn't believe it. No, it wasn't really that unbelievable when _she_ was watching them as they were resolving their issues with Lowee. It wouldn't be too far-fetched, really.

"You've gotta be kidding me, Histoire...!" Noire said as she crumpled the letter and slammed the table. She tried to deny it, but deep inside, she knew that the chances of that CPU existing was high, but her mind was clouded by the problems she had with Blanc that she totally forgot about it.

Plutia didn't have any pleasant reactions about what Histoire just said. Her face was filled with nothing but anger. Of course, it was her nation being threatened here. It was normal for her to be angry. But Noire's fury was visible in every nook and cranny of her being.

"Please calm down, Noire." Histoire said as she landed on Noire's hands. "I know you're mad at this, but we have to think strategically to-"

Before she could finish her sentence, they heard a sound of explosion. From the sounds of it, the explosion came from the outside. They then heard panicking knocks coming from the door. Noire forgot that she had locked it earlier and immediately opened it up, with Neptune and Blanc appearing in the room with alarmed looks on their faces.

"I heard a sound of explosion. It seems to be coming from the outside." Blanc said as she stepped inside the room.

The people in the room wasted no time and immediately headed to the balcony. They ran their eyes around whatever they could see.

"Look over there!" Neptune said as she pointed her finger towards something.

They turned their heads towards wherever Neptune was pointing, and saw a massive smoke from afar. Seeing that made Noire realize that Histoire was indeed not kidding. The explosion seemed to have occurred in a large area, judging from the size of the smoke.

"All of you, come with me." Noire said as she transformed. She wasn't sure if taking Neptune along with them would be a great idea but that wasn't the time for that.

She then lifted Neptune up and carried her on her arms. Blanc and Plutia transformed as Noire flew away. "Histoire, please hold the fort." Plutia said and flew away with Blanc, following Noire's trail.

Histoire just nodded at them.

 **~o~O~o~**

After a short while of flying, they arrived at the source of the fire. The fire broke out in the airship terminal. There seemed to be no casualties reported as they approached the firefighters who were trying to kill the fire, but it seemed that the flames weren't subsiding at all.

"Who could do such thing..." Neptune said as she stared at the massive fire.

"We'll think about that later. But for now, we need to-" Noire was interrupted as they got approached by one of the rescue team who were assigned to save everyone trapped inside.

"Lady Iris Heart, Lady Black Heart. There are still people inside! We can't get to them because the entrances were blocked by debris!"

Noire and Plutia's eyes widened as they heard the report. They wasted no time and immediately headed to the entrance. As they arrived at their destination, Noire tried to bust out the entrance by kicking it, but the door didn't budge. From what she observed, it seemed like a few layers of debris were blocking its way. Noire materialized her sword and used it to break the obstacle in front of them. It somewhat caused the ceiling to fall apart, but at the very least, their path inside was clear.

"Let's go get them fast. This place won't hold much longer." Noire said and went inside.

Plutia followed the silver-haired CPU as they traversed inside the hot and burning area. They sharpened their hearing as the people trapped might've been calling for help, but as they got deeper inside the place, instead of hearing cries of help, they heard something else.

"...Waah...!"

Something that made their hearts race.

"Is that...?" Noire didn't manage to finish her sentence as Plutia immediately levitated to the source of the cries. Noire followed her to wherever she was headed to and they arrived at a certain room.

Plutia didn't waste any second and busted the door out.

"Waaah...! Waaah...!"

Their eyes widened as they saw three crying kids, around 6 in age, covered in cloth. They were on the arms of two people, who were battered badly. "It's okay now, we'll get you out of here." They then carried all of them out of the place, with Noire carrying the three kids, and Plutia carrying the two adults protecting them. After a few moments, they got out and brought them to the medical team.

"Noire! Plutia! Are you alright?"

Plutia and Noire reverted their HDD and turned to the source of the voice, and saw Neptune running towards them. They weren't really injured, but their skin was a little bruised, most likely because of them being near the fires and ashes touching them.

"We're fine." Noire said as she gave Neptune a reassuring smile. Neptune sighed in relief after hearing that answer. "By the way, where's Blanc?"

"She ran off somewhere- Oh, there she is." Neptune pointed behind Noire. They then turned around and saw Blanc landing down.

Noire approached the blue-haired goddess and asked her, "Where were you, Blanc?"

But Blanc didn't answer her and just dragged her away from Neptune and Plutia after turning back to her human form. "We've got a serious problem." She then whispered at Noire.

Noire raised an eyebrow. Weren't they having that already? But as she stared at Blanc, it looked like the Lowee CPU wasn't kidding. "What's going on?"

"I saw someone earlier who could have looked like a CPU, and I tailed her." Blanc said as she crossed her arms. Noire's eyes widened after hearing that. It was reckless of Blanc to do that, really. "I'm fine, don't worry." She said and reassured the ravenette.

Noire sighed in relief. "That's good." She said.

"I wasn't expecting her to not notice me of course, and that itself is a very bad news." She said as her expression turned sour. "I know where she was headed."

Noire didn't say anything and just stared at Blanc with expectant eyes.

"She went roughly southeast from Planeptune, across the ocean." Blanc said. "I also have a feeling that she's the one who burned this place down."

Noire agreed with Blanc by nodding off. It was really plausible, since her appearance in Planeptune and leaving at the same time when there was an incident was too obvious to be called a coincidence. But that line of thought made Noire think of something else. Judging from what Blanc said earlier, it could be that that CPU was provoking them.

And of course, it wasn't a good idea to be lured, as it was obviously at their disadvantage.

But, if they won't take action now, then when? The attack in Planeptune was obviously a warning shot for them.

"It's time to bite the bait, then." Noire said.

 **o~O~o~**

Blanc and Noire went back to Neptune and Plutia, who were just talking to the medical team. Both of them didn't have a pleasant look on their faces, and so Blanc and Noire as well.

"Noire..." Neptune called the ravenette. She had a few tears on her eyes, and wondered what could've happened. "The two people you rescued... who were protecting the kids... didn't make it." She said between her sobs.

Noire's heartbeat stopped for a moment.

"..."

Noire lowered her head and clenched her fist. Now, her anger was on top already and it was visible to everyone around her. Even though it wasn't her citizens who just died, they were still innocent people who died helplessly. And that single fact made Noire angry.

She would definitely give that CPU a taste of her fury.

"Plutia, it's time to go." Noire said transformed again. Plutia nodded and transformed as well without a second thought. They both felt the same way towards this issue, and they would never let this slide, not when two lives were lost in this incident. "Blanc, please take care of Neptune." She was about to fly but she was stopped by Neptune.

"Wait, Noire! I'm coming as well!" Neptune protested as she wiped her tears away.

Noire swung her head before grabbing Neptune by her shoulders. "No. You absolutely can't."

"Is it because of what happened in Lowee?" Neptune asked.

Noire's expression softened and was surprised that Neptune remembered that. No, it shouldn't be that surprising. 'Neptune' managed to talk Blanc before everything was resolved, after all. She bit her lip as she averted her eyes from Neptune. Yes, what Neptune said was right. Noire indeed didn't want what happened in Lowee to happen again. But that wasn't the main reason at all. She just wanted to protect Neptune, as her enemy this time wasn't just a normal CPU. This CPU had the guts to declare war to the three nations.

"Please... don't misunderstand." Noire said as she turned towards Neptune again. "I'm just trying to protect you." She then hugged Neptune, which surprised Blanc. Well, this was expected to Plutia, so it didn't surprise her.

"Our enemy this time is very dangerous, and I can't put you in danger." Noire said as she broke away from the hug and stared directly at Neptune's eyes. "Please leave this to us and wait for our return."

Despite her protests, Neptune seemed to have given up as she nodded. Noire smiled at Neptune before leaving her to Blanc. Noire and Plutia then flew away to the direction Blanc had given them to chase the perpetrator of this incident. They would not let that CPU get off the hook easily. If she thought that she could just do what she pleases, then she would be in for a big treat from them.

Noire glanced back to Neptune once more before increasing her flight speed. Plutia saw the silver-haired CPU's actions and just sighed before catching up with her speed.

'Noire...' Plutia mentally called. She knew how Noire felt about Neptune, but she wondered if she herself realized that. Plutia was about to call her but her voice did not cooperate with her. And so, she just bit her lip.

After a short while, they saw a land not too far from where they were. As they got closer, the land grew as well, and they realized that it was a big nation when they got near it.

"It doesn't seem to be a remote country, so why didn't we know its existence until now?" Noire asked as they stopped.

"Must be sealed off inside and out." Plutia said. While Plutia seemed to have a good point, it still didn't make sense to Noire. Even if a country was sealed inside out, that no one gets in and out, it still shouldn't be able to completely hide its existence, even from the map.

"..." Both of them didn't say a word as they landed on a place that seemed to be a forest.

They wandered around the area. The nature itself looked soothing, but somehow not friendly towards them.

"...!"

Noire felt like they were being watched. She then raised her guard up, and Plutia did as well as she felt the same way as Noire. She looked around them, but she saw nobody.

Or so she thought.

"Show yourself, you coward. Stop hiding!" Noire shouted, trying to provoke their observer.

They got no response, but instead, they felt an incoming attack from above. Plutia and Noire looked above and saw a barrage of spears heading towards their way and they instinctively levitated away from their position to avoid being skewered just in the nick of time.

"My, that was some really late reaction, if I may say."

The two CPUs turned to the source of the voice, which was coming from above. There, they saw a silhouette of a person along the sun's direction. Noire and Plutia raised their altitude, enough to see who was the person who just attacked them.

"So, you're the one who attacked Planeptune, and provoked us, huh?" Noire said as she finally got a good look on the said person.

That person was a tall female, a busty one. She had a long, green hair with purple eyes. She was wearing a black, one-piece bodysuit, but still was revealing a lot of her stomach and chest. She was also holding a spear, which was identical to the spears that attacked Noire and Plutia.

"Yes, it is I, Green Heart, if you may need to know." Green Heart introduced herself. "What are you going to do about it?"

Plutia materialized her weapon and pointed it towards Green Heart. "You know, it is MY nation that you just attacked..." She said as she sliced the wind with her snake sword. "...And I rarely get the feeling of wanting to kill someone, because it is always fun to play with them..."

Green Heart shivered a little, but she already saw this coming as she knew what kind of person Plutia was.

"...It's okay to go all out now, right...?" Plutia then turned to Noire, and surprisingly, the silver-haired CPU didn't flinch as she saw her face.

Noire sighed. "Just leave some for me. I want to beat the shit out of her as well."

In an instant, Plutia disappeared from Noire's sight. Can't say Noire was surprised from that, as she definitely wasn't.

Green Heart then held on her weapon tighter, observing her surroundings. After a short while, she lifted her spear above her head, blocking an incoming attack that came out from the same direction.

"...Not bad." Plutia said as her attack was parried.

"And of course, I am not forgetting something." Green Heart then dragged her spear down, throwing Plutia down as well. She then lifted her spear again and placed on her back, blocking an incoming attack from Noire. "You're too easy to read."

"..." Noire gritted her teeth as she moved away from Green Heart. Plutia then charged towards the green CPU, with her weapon aimed at her chest, but Green Heart just blocked the attack as she summoned another spear on her other hand.

"Is that all?"

The continuous attacks of Noire and Plutia continued endlessly, but all of it were blocked effortlessly by Green Heart while not moving from her position. Noire was getting infuriated with how things were going and tried to deliver heavier attacks, but nothing had changed. She only got fatigue, though.

Noire and Plutia backed down for a bit to catch their breathing, but it looked like Green Heart hadn't broken a sweat yet.

"Done already?" Green Heart said in an amused tone. "My turn it is, then." She then instantly disappeared from their sight.

After a short moment, she appeared in front of Plutia, who seemed to be surprised from her sudden appearance. "Why do you look so surprised?" Green Heart then spun around and slammed her spear onto Plutia's right shoulder, which resulted to the Planeptune CPU falling down to the woods.

"Plutia-!" Noire shouted as she saw her friend crash somewhere far.

"Do you think you have the luxury to worry about her?" Green Heart suddenly appeared behind the Lastation CPU. Noire then lifted her sword up and placed it on her back, blocking the incoming attack. "...You have good reflexes, I see."

"Kuh...!" Noire gritted her teeth and gripped on her sword tightly as she was locked weapons with Green Heart. She then twisted her body sideward to gain vision on her opponent, and swung her sword to repel her away. "How dare you...!" Noire gave Green Heart a chase.

Green Heart deliberately let herself be chased as she didn't even try to get away. Noire noticed that and just flew past her.

"...?!" The green-haired CPU was surprised.

Noire then did an air kick turn in a heartbeat as she got her desirable distance, and flew back to her opponent after confirming that Green Heart failed to lure her into a trap. She spun around multiple times as she got closer, and did a downward slash as she reached a close range.

"Ngh...!" Green Heart parried Noire's attack, but the blow was heavy enough to send her flying down to the ground, which resulted in a big dust screen as she crashed.

Noire was panting very hard as she tried to catch her breathing. Few seconds later, a light appeared from afar, which made her raise her guard up. As she saw who the person who was heading towards her direction, she sighed in relief.

"Plutia!" She then flew towards her. "Are you alright?"

Plutia swung her head. "Aside from my right shoulder being crushed, yes, I'm fine." She said as she placed her left hand on her right shoulder and started to heal it. Plutia could feel her bones moving on its own back to where it should be and it was somehow giving her some pain, but it was bearable. "Where is she...?"

Noire pointed her finger down to the dust screen. "I sent her flying downwards, though I would jinx ourselves that this is not yet over."

'You'd definitely jinx it.' Plutia mentally said. She then sighed as she finished healing her shoulder.

Now, they kept their guard up as they searched around. Well, no use in searching for someone who just fell into the forest filled with trees and grasses. Either way, both of them moved slowly as they were keeping their senses sharp.

"...!"

Their instincts were telling them that the position they were in was dangerous. They then shifted their view upwards and saw Green Heart charging at them at a very fast speed. They had no time to dodge her as in just a matter of moments, she would be already in front of them.

"...!"

Noire and Plutia used their weapons to block Green Heart's attack. How did she manage to attack both of them at once? She was wielding twin spears on both of her hands, and since Noire and Plutia were very close to each other, attacking them at once was an easy feat for her.

"That really hurt, you know." Green Heart said as she smirked at Noire.

The silver-haired CPU gritted her teeth. Green Heart was mocking her, really. She spun her blade around to push the green-haired CPU's weapon, but she failed as Green Heart was also doing the same, but in opposite direction.

"Oh, I forgot to say." Green Heart said as she smiled at them.

Noire and Plutia was surprised, and felt cold all of a sudden. They were in danger!

They were in danger!

That was what their guts were telling them.

"If you don't move away from there, you'll be in danger."

But they had no time to respond.

Plutia let go of her weapon and reverted her transformation in a heartbeat. She then started to fall down from the sky, and as she did so, she saw a spear rising up. That was an attack that she barely avoided, as it was just a few centimeters away from her head. She had some strands of her hair shaved off, though.

But, the next thing she saw was something she did not completely expect to happen.

"NOIRE...!"

Plutia saw Noire falling from the sky, with a spear impaled on her back, while Green Heart was just watching her fall to her misery. Blood was gushing out of her body down to the spear as she was falling.

The Planeptune CPU then transformed back and flew to Noire at her fastest speed to catch her before she falls down to the ground. Just when Noire was about crash to the ground, Plutia shifted her feet forward and caught Noire using body whilst avoiding the spear impaled on her back.

"Noire...! Noire...!" She shouted, but Noire wasn't responding. Blood was dripping out of Noire's mouth, as well as on her abdomen as the spear pierced through it.

She then held on the spear, gripped on it tightly, and shattered it after a few moments of overloading it with share energy.

"Mother of..." Plutia said as she checked Noire's wound. The spear made a hole on her body, and healing it would be completely impossible for her. She needed to bring her back to Histoire and get her treated. She placed her hand on Noire's wound as she carried her and did a first-aid healing. She wouldn't be able to heal it, but at the very least, she could stop the bleeding.

She turned to Green Heart, who was still just smiling at them. No, at their miserable state, to be particular. It was frustrating, that both of them lost to a single opponent. But they had no information about her, and that CPU already knew their capabilities, so it was a complete disadvantage for them.

After a few moments, Noire's transformation reverted. Plutia gritted her teeth and took this chance to retreat. She glanced behind her, and saw that Green Heart wasn't chasing them.

Green Heart deliberately let them go. And that thought angered Plutia more, but Noire's safety comes above anything else.

"Noire... please hold on." Plutia said as she hurried back to Planeptune.

 _'Neppy...'_

Neptune would definitely not want to see this.

* * *

 **Well, there you have it guys! It was not my intention to make it short. Well, some changes happened in the events of the story, so if I continued this chapter, it would take around 10k+ words, and no, I'm not a fan of writing that long chapters.**

 **One of the changes was, I decided Vert to live. Originally, Vert should die in her arc but no, I'd rather not do that because most of you wouldn't like that, so that's it. Unless you want that, be my guest then. Just say so, huehue.**

 **In any case, how's the story so far guys? There would be two, three, or four chapters left in this story! It's nearing its end! Aww.**

 **Please drop your reviews guys! Feedbacks and criticisms are always welcomed! Just please no flaming and hate though, my heart is weak.**

 **Until next time, see ya guys!**


	8. An Inevitable Anger

**Hello guys! Time for Chapter 8! WOOOOO!**

 **The story is nearing its end. I'm sad.**

 **Anyways, about Vert's death, wow, you guys wanted her to die, really? But nah, I completely decided not to go along with it at all. Well, maybe I could do a separate route for it in the future; I won't promise anything though. But of course, she wouldn't get off the hook easily here. Muhahahaha!**

 **Don't get me wrong. I don't hate Vert. I can never hate Neptunia characters. I even love Kurome and Rei. Lol.**

 **To answer your questions!**

 **To Draen: Nep will NEVER move on. I can assure you that. That's why I prepared a special ending for that, one that wouldn't be so much painful... but still painful. kek. Second, Rei is there, though I didn't really plan her to have an actual appearance, but Arfoire will appear, after Vert's Arc. Her arc would be more or less the longest among the three arcs, or might be second to Blanc's.**

 **I don't know how the Basilicom of Leanbox looks like so I'm just going to assume that it's going to be the one that is shown in the center of its map. I only know Lastation's and Lowee's, plus Planeptune somehow but I can't really remember Leanbox's.**

 **Anyways, got nothing to say anymore other than my gratitude to everyone supporting my story. You guys are the best! :3**

 **Onto the chapter now, Enjoy!**

* * *

Planeptune.

A city where progress could be seen anywhere. Despite it being the country with the least shares among the other two nations, Lastation and Lowee, there was no hint of it being left out in development. They were still catching up, of course.

Just hours ago, an incident happened in an airship terminal. The infrastructure was burned down to ground, and unfortunately, there were casualties. Two adults, most probably the parents, or guardians, or caretakers, of the three children rescued. And an incident resolved with casualties is not a good result. Definitely not. The three children were sent to the hospital for treatment, but after that, they weren't sure where to send them, because there were only a few orphanages in Planeptune, and they had mostly crowded already, as what Histoire said.

Blanc and Neptune were currently in the Basilicom with Histoire as they await for Noire and Plutia's return. They were assembled inside Plutia's room, discussing the incident earlier, with Blanc on the balcony, staring at the skies.

"Hey, how about we establish a day care center here in the Basilicom?" Neptune suggested.

That came as a surprise to Histoire. "That's a good idea, but we need to inform Plutia about this as well before setting it to the motion." Histoire said. Well, honestly speaking, she had always wanted to create a daycare here in the Basilicom, but they never had the proper staff for the job. And now, even though they still didn't have the right people for the job, they couldn't just leave the children outside.

"I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind that, knowing her." Neptune said with a smile.

Histoire couldn't argue with that. Well, among them all, she knew Plutia the longest. "Alright then, But I'll still have to talk to Plutia about it." She said. Neptune just nodded as a response.

Silence.

Histoire scanned the room. In all honesty, there was nothing to talk about anymore, and so the only thing that she did was wait for Noire and Plutia's immediate return, as the silence was definitely getting awkward. Her eyes landed on Blanc, who was on the balcony, lost in her thoughts. Histoire wondered what was on her mind, so she approached her.

"What's wrong, Blanc?"

The brunette CPU didn't look to Histoire. "...I don't know."

"You don't know?" Histoire raised an eyebrow. For an answer, that was pretty blunt, if not vague. Like, really blunt.

"I don't know, but I can't calm myself down." Blanc said.

Histoire's eyes widened a bit. She had no idea that Blanc was restless, even though she looked so calm and composed to her eyes. But then again, Histoire didn't know Blanc that long, so unexpected things should be expected from her.

"Penny for your thoughts, then?" Histoire said as she landed her tome on the railings, just beside Blanc.

Blanc didn't say a word and just bit her lip. Histoire noticed that and kept her mouth shut as well, waiting for Blanc to speak her thoughts.

"...I've got a bad feeling about _that CPU_."

Histoire wondered who that CPU Blanc mentioned could be, but there weren't that many known CPUs, so she instantly knew who she was talking about. "That CPU who attacked the airship terminal?"

Blanc nodded. "While Noire and Plutia are aware that they're walking into a trap, I can't convince myself that they'll be able to outwit that CPU..."

"You think that Noire and Plutia will lose to that CPU?" Histoire asked. That was a heavy question to Blanc. She might've not seen the extent of Plutia's strength yet, and she knew that Noire had a lot of power in her, because she managed to calm Neptune down, but still, she couldn't shake off the feeling that they were in great danger.

Like, _seriously_ great danger.

"..."

Silence was Blanc's answer. To be honest, she didn't know what to answer. Of course, she had faith in them, but at the same time, she was having thoughts that they _might_ lose. Because in a battlefield, anything could happen, and that thought worried Blanc that she couldn't calm herself at all.

"...I don't know. I'm not sure. Maybe if my worries could write themselves into words, then I might have an answer." Blanc said as she headed back inside the room.

Histoire didn't have a proper reply to that. She looked up to the skies. Now, it was her who was worrying about Noire and Plutia's safety. She couldn't deny that, even though she knew how strong they were, facing an unknown didn't spell any good vibes to her.

Though all she could do was wait for their safe return.

 **~o~O~o~**

"Hang in there, Noire...!"

A certain purple-haired woman whispered to nobody in particular as she was flying on air. She was holding a young girl in her arms, who seemed to be a not-so-good condition. Truth to be told, that would be an understatement, because the young girl had a serious injury in her stomach. Her flesh could be seen by the naked eye, as there was a hole embedded on her abdomen, and the only thing that kept her from losing blood was the purple-haired woman's magic.

But, the purple-haired woman had no idea how long would last, and her thoughts of increasing her flight speed would definitely not help as the wind suddenly grew stronger.

"P...P...Plu...tia..."

The purple-haired woman's eyes widened as she was alarmed by the young girl's voice. "Noire?! Please don't talk, but keep yourself conscious!" Plutia panicked.

Noire's breathing grew heavier as time passed by, and that wasn't helping in reassuring the purple-haired woman.

'I have to hurry...!' She reminded herself as she flew towards Planeptune.

She prayed to whoever goddess out there that Noire would hold out. Pretty ironic, really.

 **~o~O~o~**

Histoire's eyes were locked on to the blue skies. Despite the weather being so peaceful, her heart wasn't. She was still thinking about what she and Blanc talked about earlier.

She sighed.

She looked at the skies once more. From there, she saw a purple light from afar, and it was heading their way. As the light got closer, she saw a familiar person, with someone familiar as well.

But what she witnessed was something she didn't expect to see in her entire life. Plutia was holding her in her arms, with bloodstained clothes.

"Plutia...!" She called out.

Plutia, or in her current form, Iris Heart, swiftly landed on the balcony and went inside the room. "Histoire, Noire needs help!"

Histoire rushed to Noire's side, but she stopped halfway as she heard someone's voice echoed in the room.

"H-Huh...? N...N...Noire...?"

Histoire turned to the source of the voice, which came from Neptune, who was staring at Noire, with her shaking hand trying to reach her. But that wasn't all. Neptune's aura was almost visible to her eyes and she was completely sure that it wasn't a good one. She was slowly crawling towards Noire, whose life was in a critical state.

"N ... N ... Noire ... Noire...?"

Histoire was alarmed. Neptune's mind was going unstable. She totally forgot that Noire had a special place in Neptune's heart and soul, and Neptune seeing Noire in that state, Neptune going unstable again wouldn't be the least of their worries.

"T-This is bad, Blanc, please restrain Neptune...!" Histoire ordered.

Blanc didn't think twice and swiftly dashed behind Neptune and attempted to knock her out by hitting her nape.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Neptune then smashed the table into pieces with her bare hands.

Blanc's eyes widened at Neptune's sudden outburst, which caught her off-guard. Neptune then ducked, avoiding Blanc's attack. Neptune then twisted her body sidewards and then elbowed Blanc's right rib cage with great force.

"AGH-!" Blanc winced in pain as the attack left her breathless, which almost knocked her unconscious as well. She then coughed some blood afterward, but she didn't let it get ahead of her. She grabbed onto Neptune's back, to keep her from moving away. "H-Histoire...!" She mustered all the strength she had as she said those words.

The book fairy then floated behind Neptune and instantly cast a sleeping spell on Neptune. After a short while, Neptune lost consciousness and fell down to the floor. Blanc fell down as well, with her gripping on her rib cage.

"B-Blanc!" Histoire tried to aid her, but she was stopped by Blanc herself.

The Lowee CPU coughed more blood, which stained the floor. "D...Don't worry about me, p...prioritize Noire's l...life..." Blanc then fainted.

Histoire bit her lip. True, Noire's life was definitely in danger, but she couldn't just leave Blanc like that.

"Histoire, I'll tend to Blanc's injuries later. We need to move Noire to a better room for treatment." Iris Heart reminded her.

Histoire couldn't say a word and just nodded at Plutia. She then left the room and headed to her own, with Plutia following her as she carried Noire on her arms. As they arrived in Histoire's room, the book fairy immediately prepared a bed for Noire. Iris Heart then laid down Noire on the said bed and let Histoire examine her injuries.

"What in Gamindustri happened to her...?" Histoire asked as she stared at Noire's wound, which created a hole in her stomach. She then started to tend to her injury; her tiny hands placed on top of Noire's abdomen, with light emanating from it. The wound then started to heal itself slowly. As in, very slow, due to it being so deep, almost fatal, and because an unusual kind of attack that struck it. Noire's extremely heavy breathing didn't show any signs of slowing down either. "I'm surprised she managed to stay conscious with that wound." She said.

Iris Heart swung her head. "I don't know, but I think she's unconscious now." She said. "She's a tough girl, she managed to hold out until a few moments ago."

Histoire was more than surprised to hear that. She didn't know how far the place they were earlier from Planeptune but she assumed that it would take roughly half an hour of flight from there, and Noire held out that long with that wound. She's tough, indeed.

"I'll stay out of your way. I'll have to tend to Blanc as well." Iris Heart then left the room without waiting for a reply. She ran back to her room and went to Blanc's aid, who was still unconscious on the floor. Iris Heart then examined Blanc's injury as she ran her hand with healing magic throughout her body.

"...A broken rib, and a punctured lung..." She said and then started to heal Blanc's injury. She wondered about the extent of Neptune's strength, as she did this while she was out of her HDD form. Iris Heart was relieved that she wasn't the one at the receiving end of this, but still not happy about it.

After a short moment, Blanc slowly opened her eyes. "P...Plu...tia...?"

"Don't worry, you're going to be fine." Iris Heart said as she gave her a reassuring smile.

Blanc just nodded weakly and just let Plutia do her thing. She could still feel the pain from her lung, and she had a hard time breathing, but it was gradually going normal. Blanc was sure that her defenses were always at the top, but then this happened and questioned herself. Was her defense still weak, or Neptune was really just too damn strong for her? But, remembering back her first encounter with her, there was no doubt that Neptune was _indeed_ strong.

Iris Heart just stared at Blanc as she healed her injury. She knew what the Lowee CPU was thinking after she covered her eyes with her arm. She knew that Blanc was thinking about how strong Neptune really was, and of course, Iris Heart was also thinking about the same thing. But then, remembering how Noire managed to repel all of Neptune's attacks back in Lowee, a lot of questions were spurting out in her mind.

Is Noire stronger than Neptune, or she just caught Neptune off-guard?

Or there was something that she didn't know about Neptune? Or about Noire?

Those were just a few questions that were circling inside Iris Heart's mind, but not a single one of them was answered.

 **~o~O~o~**

 _"Mhmmm ..."_

 _I slowly opened my eyes as I regained my consciousness. But something was not right. My body... felt heavy... and painful. Especially my stomach. I touched my stomach and felt a bandage encapsulating around my waist. Did I injure myself that bad? Because when Neptune was injured, she didn't have any bandage with her. Either way, I had no way of answering that question myself._

 _I met a familiar ceiling. I realized that I wasn't in my room because this ceiling was definitely not the one that I had in my room. I was in someone else's room, and I knew whose it was._

 _Histoire's room._

 _Why did I end up here? I couldn't remember, but I knew the fact that I got injured real bad. I even had no idea what time it was already._

 _I slowly sat up on the bed, and Goddess, it hurt. Just moving my upper body was killing me that I wished I just stayed in bed. But of course, nothing would happen if I did. I ran my eyes around the room and saw particularly no one. The room was dark; somewhat hindering my vision, as I just woke up from sleep. I slipped out of the bed, but my first step on the floor ended up in a complete failure as I instantly lost my balance the moment I stood on my feet. I managed to hold on the bed to avoid a complete fall, but my abdomen was something I wished I didn't feel._

 _And Goddess, just this pain took away a lot of my strength. Not like I had them in the first place._

 _I slowly stood up on my feet. This time, I was able to successfully stand up, but my feet were still shaking. How long was I out? A day or two? A week? Nah, a week might be too much for me. I could guess that it's just a few days._

 _My vision started to fix itself, and I could see clearly now. I walked to the door. Every step I took was painful, but that was the least of my concerns right now._

 _As I got out, the first thing I had in mind was to go to Plutia's room. I had to check on Neptune because surely she's worried about me. After Goddess know how long, I arrived at my destination. I turned the doorknob and opened the door. I peeked inside, but only saw a dark room._

 _"Nep...tune...?" I called, but I got no replies. I went inside the room. I could see light coming from the curtains, and I walked towards it to open it. Sunlight illuminated the room, almost blinding my eyes because I was the first one to receive it directly. I also learned that this room was devoid of people, until I heard the door burst open._

 _"Noire...!"_

 _I turned around and saw Histoire with a panicked look painted on her face, with her tome violently shaking, which seemed to be coordinating with her current feelings. Though I wondered what made her panic like that._

 _"Noire, you're awake!" Histoire seemed to be pleased as she saw me, but immediately lost this pleased look afterwards. "No, that's not it, please just stay in bed! I wasn't able to fully heal you last three days so your wound might still pose danger to your body!" Histoire said as she tried to pull me away, but her small stature prevented her from doing so._

 _It was unusual for Histoire to act like that. Well, I did have a serious injury, and it's pretty normal to be worried, but not to that extent Histoire was acting. "Forget my wounds, where's Neptune? I have to see her."_

 _Histoire stopped for a moment before she resumed her attempts to get me out of the room. "Worry about yourself first! I can't let you do something reckless!"_

 _"..."_

 _My eyes widened in surprise._

 _"Histoire, what is going on?" I asked as I faced her._

 _"Why are you asking the obvious? You should still be resting!" Histoire said, but not her usual tone and volume of voice. It was like, she's hiding something._

 _I grew suspicious. There was something fishy going on here. "That's not the answer I want to hear."_

 _By the time I said that, Histoire realized her slip of the tongue. But she remained silent._

 _"Histoire, answer me. Where is Neptune?" I asked once more._

 _But still, she didn't seem to give up. "Even if I tell you, I won't let you go because you are in no condition to do so!"_

 _"WHERE IS NEPTUNE?!" My hands then reached her book and unconsciously gripped it tightly._

 _Histoire was startled. I didn't mean to raise my voice, but her keeping secrets from me when it comes to Neptune infuriated me. That's not something that I'd easily pass. Though I immediately regretted my actions and released Histoire in an instant._

 _"I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-"_

 _"Don't be. I know that you care for Neptune so much." Histoire said as she shook her head. Well, I wasn't surprised when she said that. "Neptune launched an assault to Leanbox. Plutia and Blanc are on their way to stop her."_

 _"... Leanbox?"_

 _"The name of the nation that the CPU you've faced before governs." Histoire then showed me a journalist newspaper. The word "Leanbox" was scattered all over it, mostly announcing its foundation, and some other stuff that I didn't give a damn about._

 _But, the first thing that Histoire said just sunk in mind now. "Wait, Neptune launched an assault? What the hell is going on?"_

 _"That's..."_

 **~o~O~o~**

Planeptune - Basilicom.

Inside one of the bedrooms, a certain light purple-haired girl was sleeping. She seemed to be sleeping for a while, but it wasn't long before seven in the morning that she woke up. Her eyes opened as soon as her consciousness came back to her, and sat up on the bed. She looked at her side and saw another purple-haired girl, whose hair color was a little darker than hers, and unarguably longer than hers in length. That girl was sleeping soundly and didn't seem to be waking up any sooner.

She sighed. Another day had arrived.

"Noire..." She mumbled.

She wasn't able to see Noire in the past three days, because Histoire forbade her from doing so, as she was still recovering. She understood that, more than anyone else, but not seeing Noire for that long, she had grown anxious. Plus, the fact that she knew how bad Noire was when she came back three days ago scared her even more. Scared that she might lose Noire, even though she knew that her life wasn't in danger anymore.

"Noire..." She hugged her knees as she sobbed quietly.

She then slipped out of the bed, without waking the sleeping girl beside her. She headed to the door and quietly left the room. The hallways were devoid of people; not like there were many people residing in the upper part of the Basilicom. It was just her, her roommate, and a certain book-fairy, were mostly residing here. Oh, and add the three children they were taking care of. Those children were one of the survivors of the incident three days ago in the airship terminal.

She stopped in front of a certain room. The door had a sign "Histoire" attached on it. She touched the doorknob and turned it around, but it didn't budge. The door was locked, and can only be opened from the inside, or by the owner of the room from outside. She wandered around the Basilicom for a while, not having any idea what action to do next.

She ended up at Histoire's workroom, or technically, _their_ workroom. Histoire was the one using this room most of the time because she and her friend Plutia mostly do work outside the Basilicom. She grabbed the doorknob and turned it, and was surprised as it was unlocked. She took a peek inside and saw that nobody's inside. She entered the room without second thoughts. The room was somewhat devoid of light, but not entirely, as she still could see stuff inside. She then headed to the window and opened it. Light instantly illuminated the dimmed room and fresh air entered as well, cooling the warm room.

She wandered into the small room. A lot of bookshelves filled with books and other stuff could be seen, and stacks of documents on the work desk. She took a look at the said desk, and found a lot of pictures of one person, at different angles and locations.

"...T...This... is...?" Her eyes widened as she took different pictures at once with her free hands. She tried to look at other pictures, and it was all the same.

"V...Ve..." Her hands crumpled the pictures before she could finish what she was about to say, and the same moment when someone just entered the room.

"Neptune?!"

The girl named Neptune turned to the source of the voice and in an instant, she disappeared and reappeared in front of that person and grabbed her by the neck, pushing and pinning her to the wall. And after a short while, Neptune body glowed and a totally different person appeared. A tall woman with long, purple hair tied in twin braid style, almost reaching her feet, with her sea blue eyes glowing. She was wearing a black bodysuit mixed with purple and blue lining all around the torso and arms. The middle of the torso has purple mesh, showing a vague vertical view of her stomach. She also was wearing thigh high boots with octagon patterns on the side at the very top; one colored with purple and another with just white outline.

"Blanc..."

Blanc, the CPU of Lowee. She was wearing her usual autumn leaves outfit, resembling a shrine maiden. Hanafuda cards were attached to her dark brown's shirt's white long sleeves, and a blue orb surrounded by red strings just under her shirt. She was wearing a red and white hat, a flower necklace, a black and white bead bracelet, white socks that run up to her thighs, and slippers decorated with a red ribbon and flower.

"N...Nep...tune...!" Blanc struggled as she tried to get Neptune's hand off her neck, but her attempts were futile.

Neptune showed the picture of a certain person in front of Blanc using her other hand. "...Where is this person?" She then asked while still gripping on Blanc's neck.

Blanc's eyes widened. "I...c...can't..." But her shortage of breath was still keeping her from talking properly.

"...You're going to lose your throat if you don't start speaking now." Neptune threatened.

"...B-"

Before she could say anything, Neptune's grip on Blanc's neck loosened a bit, which surprised her. From her blurry vision, she saw a snake sword in front of her, pointed directly at Neptune's neck.

"Let her go or a broken limb or two would be the least of your worries."

Neptune turned to her left and saw a tall woman with dark magenta eyes glaring daggers at her. The woman also has long, iris blue hair, and wearing a one piece bodysuit with high heels and traces of magenta on the legs, torso, and arms which were also accompanied by a set of matching earrings and a choker. Though 'Neptune' didn't really see her much in this form, she knew that it was _her_.

Plutia.

Neptune then let go of Blanc, who then fell on the ground, coughing as she tried to catch her breath. Plutia then took back her snake sword, without taking her eyes off Neptune. "I'll answer your questions instead."

Neptune glared back at Plutia, but then realized it was pointless to argue with her anymore. She then showed her the picture she had. "Who is this person?"

Plutia stared at the said picture. There shown an image of a familiar face. A woman with light green hair tied in a ponytail style. The picture didn't show the person's lower body but that was enough for Plutia to identify who that person was.

"...Her name is Green Heart, or so she said." Plutia said as she crossed her arms. She unconsciously gritted her teeth as well as she remembered what happened a few days ago. "She's the CPU of the new nation, Leanbox."

Neptune then looked at the photo. "Green Heart... Leanbox..." She mumbled under her breath and then crumpled the picture. "...Vert." Though she already knew it all along the moment she saw the picture.

"Vert...?" Plutia asked, but her question was unanswered.

"Where is she?" Neptune then turned to Plutia after disintegrating the photo using her bare hand.

Oh no, this was what Plutia was trying to prevent from happening. "Look, even if I tell you, you-"

"I am not asking for your goddess damn opinion." Neptune then swiftly summoned her katana and pointed it at Plutia's neck. "Where is she?"

Plutia eyed Neptune for a bit before touching the blunt edge of Neptune's katana and lowered it down herself. "Southeast of Planeptune, across the ocean. There's a huge nation."

In an instant, Neptune blasted out of the room by the window without saying anything, leaving Plutia and a short-breathed Blanc who was on the floor. Plutia then dematerialized her weapon and rushed to Blanc's aid. "Blanc, are you okay?"

"T...This is... the second time she got me..." Blanc said as she was lifted up by Plutia. "Does she hate me or something?"

"You just have a bad timing." Plutia said as she cracked a smile. "You look fine, that's good."

Blanc couldn't argue with that. Though it still pissed her off when she gets to be the one on the receiving end of Neptune's beating.

"Anyways, we have to follow her and stop her." Blanc said as she transformed and attempted to fly out of the room, but she was stopped by Plutia by grabbing her by the shoulder.

"I totally hate it, but yeah, we need to stop her." Plutia said. "But first, we have to tell Histoire."

Blanc nodded and reverted their transformation. There was a lot of things to worry about, but informing Histoire about the current situation was the best course of action.

 **~o~O~o~**

Above the ocean, Neptune was flying at high speed, towards the direction given to her by Plutia earlier. She had been flying for less than half an hour, and she could already see an island from afar. She increased her speed and altitude as she headed towards her objective. As soon as she was above the land, she scanned every bit of building in it that fits the category to be called a Basilicom.

She spotted a structure at the center of the city, which is shaped like an X, technically. As she observed it closer, the structure seemed to be 4 interconnected buildings joined by their tops, which was the one forming an X shape when viewed from above. As she was perpendicular to the x-shaped building, she plummeted down to its roof and destroyed it, landing on the inside.

"Wha-?" The people inside the building were surprised with Neptune's sudden entrance by the roof. A hole has been created on the ceiling, with a pile of rubble scattered around. "A-A-A CPU?!"

Neptune scanned her surroundings for her possible target, but she was nowhere to be found. "Listen here, you lowly humans. Call your CPU or else I will burn this place down to the ground." Neptune said as she stabbed her katana on the ground and released a strong shockwave on the floor without destroying it, as a display of power. "I do not fancy fighting humans but if you retaliate against me, I will show no mercy."

Before everyone ran away from the room, a certain blonde woman entered the area. She was wearing a green, revealing dress with black lining that runs down to her upper ankle has a high slit, separating the dress area into two cloths showing off her legs.

"What is going on here...?" She asked.

"Lady Vert, someone just barged in the Basilicom and is looking for you!" One of the staff shakily said as he pointed to a certain room where he just exited.

Vert then nodded and rushed to the said room. She could see her people one by one exiting the room from different doorways, yet someone stood still in the middle.

"You..." Vert spoke up as she approached Neptune, who was standing right in the middle of the room, with her katana stabbed on the ground, and her eyes closed. The room was filled with rubble, and a hole on the rooftop was what Vert noticed the most. Her blood boiled as she witnessed how her home was ruined by Neptune, but she kept her composure. "...I was wondering why you didn't show up when I visited Planeptune." Though she could barely keep her calm.

Neptune slowly turned to Vert. Their eyes met with Neptune glaring daggers at Vert, which somehow alerted her. Vert then dashed towards Neptune, with her body glowing in light. Halfway to Neptune, the light dissipated and revealed a completely different person. Vert was now the one Neptune saw in the picture earlier when she interrogated Blanc. Vert was now holding a long spear in her right hand, with its tip pointed directly towards Neptune.

Neptune still didn't move, which confused Vert, but it didn't stop her. Vert aimed at Neptune's neck, which was completely defenseless, but before the spear could reach its target, Neptune raised her katana and blocked the incoming spear using also the tip of her weapon. The ground under the clashing weapons was crushed due to the impact of the two weapons.

"...What the...?" That surprised Vert, a lot. Nobody had ever blocked her attack like this.

Neptune then pushed Vert's spear using her katana. Vert managed to get a good distance from Neptune, but then Neptune was already less than a meter away from her.

'What the?!' Vert was surprised. While she knew that Neptune was indeed fast and nimble, she didn't expect her _to be this fast._

Neptune leaped then did a cannonball spin to deliver a downward slash to Vert. Vert didn't have the time to react and just brought her spear in front of her and blocked Neptune's attack. Their weapons sparked as they clashed, destroying the ground and their surroundings as well due to the shockwave that their weapons emitted. The floor collapsed, throwing them out of the building.

They split up for a while as they floated in mid-air. Vert totally miscalculated Neptune's strength.

'Was she just hiding her real power?' Vert thought as she eyed Neptune. 'That might seem the case, but it's so unlikely. Did she gain a new power?'

A lot of thoughts circled in her mind that made her blink, but then as she did so, Neptune was already in front of her.

"Don't space out or you're going to die miserably." Neptune said as she gripped on her katana tightly.

Vert was alerted. Neptune then spun around with her Katana aimed at Vert's abdomen.

"...Kuh!" Vert then levitated away as she summoned several spears on her side to block Neptune's attack, but all of those were destroyed the moment it made contact with the katana. Though it gave Vert a breathing room to avoid a fatal attack as those spears acted as a shield that slowed down Neptune's attack. She then backed few meters away from Neptune.

"...Not bad." Neptune said.

Vert was surprised that Neptune didn't chase her, though it favored her. Neptune's sudden display of strength caught Vert off-guard, as she was sure that Neptune's strength wasn't at that level before.

"I guess I will have to take this more seriously." Vert declared as she readied her spear. "You better prepare yourself."

Neptune then switched to defense and gripped on her katana tighter. Vert then summoned multiple spears around her and then charged straight to Neptune.

"...!" Neptune backed away as she saw the spears encircling around Vert, but the Leanbox CPU didn't let her get away.

"Was everything you did earlier just for show?" Vert taunted as she threw one spear to Neptune.

The Planeptune CPU barrel rolled to the side and evaded the attack, but a barrage of spears was heading towards her direction where she just rolled.

"..."

Neptune then reversed her way of handling the katana before spinning around. A few seconds after, she parried the spears heading towards her as she flew.

"...!"

Learning that the barrage of spears just kept on coming back even after she parried them, she then made an instantaneous air kick turn and flew upwards, completely evading the spears.

But, that was well expected by Vert.

"You're not getting away!" She said as she summoned another wave of spears above Neptune, who was surprised and caught off-guard. She made an emergency halt of flight as she flipped herself forward, and doing another air kick turn to the side to evade, but her actions were too late and the spears scraped her right side, her right thigh, and right shoulder.

"...Ngh!" Neptune lost her composure from the damage she received and crashed into a nearby building. She groaned in pain as her back collided with the structure, but she didn't rest just yet as she saw another spear, heading her way. She instinctively evaded it by stepping on the concrete and propelled herself upward. On her way up, she saw Green Heart threw another spear on her way. Neptune summoned a 32-bit Mega Blade from her left hand and intercepted the incoming spear by throwing it. As the spear was negated, Neptune plummeted down towards Green Heart.

"That's good." Vert mumbled as she threw three spears towards Neptune as she flew towards her. Neptune summoned three mega blades, one by one, consecutively and blocked the spears by throwing it again.

"YAAAAAAAAAAH!" Vert cried and did a spinning slice as she got closer to Neptune, who did the same. Their weapons clashed and slightly destroying the tall buildings around them due to the strong shockwave produced by their weapons. Both of them pulled their weapons after a second, but then immediately clashed once more, resulting in another shockwave to the surroundings.

Their exchange of blows continued, parrying each other's attack, not giving each other a breathing room. Sparks of their weapons flew in the skies as their clashed. It was a battle of tenacity, and whoever gives up first, loses.

But neither of them gave up.

"What the-?" Before they could deliver another blow, an axe suddenly dropped down between them, which interrupted their attacks. The ground shook as the axe crashed on it. Vert and Neptune looked up to see who threw that axe. That attack nearly got both of them.

From above them, Vert saw short, blue-haired girl with crimson eyes, wearing a white and red bodysuit. She was accompanied by someone familiar to her, as that someone was the same person she battled against few days ago.

"Tsk. Lowee's CPU and Planeptune's CPU."

Lowee and Planeptune's CPUs. Blanc and Plutia.

Vert landed on the ground, separating herself from the three. That provocation she sent days ago was a bad idea. She miscalculated Neptune's battle prowess. Now, she was thinking how would she defeat the three of them, because just Neptune alone was a bad omen to her. She waited for them to take the first move, but what she saw was something she didn't expect to happen.

"...?"

Neptune dashed towards Blanc and Plutia and delivered a spinning slash, but it was evaded as they ducked, lowered their altitude. They split up afterwards so Neptune won't get them at the same time.

'What the hell is going on?' Vert couldn't believe what she was seeing. She always had thought that they were comrades, but for some reason, she couldn't see that between Neptune and the other two CPUs.

"Don't get in my way, or I'll have your heads on a silver platter as well." Neptune said.

Plutia and Blanc landed in front of Vert, which made the Leanbox CPU step back, but they didn't even face her.

"I'd like to see you try, but you have to calm the fuck down first, Neptune." Blanc said as she retrieved her axe. "Do you even know what you are doing?"

That question made Neptune laugh. "Of course. I'm going to kill Vert. Then, you're next." She said as she pointed her katana to Blanc. "I may have failed before because _she_ interrupted, but not this time."

Blanc wondered what Neptune was talking about. She then turned to Plutia and eyed her for a moment before asking a question. "You still didn't tell her?"

Plutia averted her eyes from Blanc. That response disappointed Blanc. Plutia hadn't told Neptune yet about her being from another dimension. "Seriously, what are you doing..." Blanc mumbled to herself as she sighed in disappointment.

"How about Noire?" Blanc asked Neptune.

Neptune's eyes narrowed as she heard that name. Whenever she hears that name, there was something building up inside her that she couldn't understand. "I... I'm going to do the same to her, of course."

"..."

Neptune's pause surprised Blanc. She had always wondered what kind of relationship Neptune and Noire had, and she still couldn't understand it, but she was sure of one thing.

Noire had a great impact on Neptune.

That means, they could still fix Neptune. The Neptune of the past, and the current Neptune, might come to a mutual understanding. And they would need Noire for that.

"Well, then. You'll have to pass through me first." Plutia said as she stepped in front of Blanc. "Try me."

Neptune smirked. "Don't worry, you will have your turn as well." Neptune then raised her left arm.

"Wha-?!"

In an instant, multiple 32-bit mega blades fell down from the skies and surrounded both Blanc and Plutia. They attempted to fly up, but another mega blade, which was larger in size, closed the hole above them, trapping them completely inside.

"Neptune!" Blanc shouted. She tried to break the cage of blades, but her attack easily bounced off. "Goddess damn it! I let my guard down." She said as she stomped her foot on the ground. Plutia was caught off-guard as well. She didn't know Neptune had this kind of power.

"She's so full of mystery..." Plutia said.

"This is not the right time to be impressed! We're trapped here, if you didn't know!" Blanc said angrily.

Plutia glared at Blanc, which made her freeze for a bit. "Do I look stupid?"

Blanc didn't reply and just averted her eyes from Plutia. That chill she felt was definitely not a good omen for her.

"Don't worry, I have a plan, but I'll need your help with this."

 **~o~O~o~**

Neptune flew to the other side of the cage and faced Vert, who was standing near it. "Now that the interruption's been taken care of, let's pick up where we left off."

"Good, I'm getting tired of waiting." Vert said as she readied her spear. "You're gonna regret not getting help from them."

Neptune laughed a bit, which unnerved the green-haired CPU.

"You need not to worry about that." Neptune said. Purple aura then emitted around her body afterwards.

"I myself is enough."

 **~o~O~o~**

"Noire, please, you can't!"

Inside Planeptune's Basilicom, in the workroom of the CPU of the nation, Noire was at the window, seemingly trying to get out.

"You can't transform in your current condition! And even if you can, there's no guarantee that you can fly all the way to Leanbox!" Histoire said as she pulled Noire away from the window. "Leave this to Plutia and Blanc, I'm sure they can bring Neptune back."

Noire gritted her teeth. Histoire was correct, and she knew it. She herself knew her current condition, and she also knew that she definitely wouldn't make it to Leanbox in her current state. But being helpless, was something she couldn't accept. She hated it. She hated it that she had to leave this matter to Plutia and Blanc.

And more importantly, she hated the fact that she couldn't be there for Neptune. She knew that Neptune identified the Leanbox CPU as the one in her memories, and she was on her way to murder her like how she tried to murder Blanc.

"But... I can't stay assured... that Green Heart won't be murdered..."

"Like I said, Just- wait, what did you say?" Histoire seemed to be taken aback by Noire's words.

"She's going to murder Green Heart." Noire repeated. "Just like she attempted to murder Blanc. And due to what happened to me, I can assume that Plutia or Blanc wouldn't mind if Neptune kills Green Heart."

Histoire bit her lip, but she stood still with not letting Noire go. "You... You still can't go! Otherwise, you're the one who'll get killed!"

"Histoire." Noire called. "Even so, I have to get to Neptune." She said as she grabbed Histoire and placed her on the nearby desk. She made up her mind and was determined to do what she believed to be done. While she knew that Noire deeply cared for Neptune, she was not expecting it to be at this level. Noire was willing to risk her life and would do anything for Neptune. Histoire then gave up on the idea of convincing Noire, as there was nothing more she could do to stop her.

She sighed. "Alright, but then, how do you plan on traveling there?" Histoire asked. "I can't offer you my help because I have no knowledge of creating a special transport. It would take me three days to find a method, and that is out of the question."

Noire didn't reply. She was hoping to get some help from Histoire, but that was impossible now, as Histoire broke it on her before she could ask.

"..."

"No worries, I'll give you a ride, then." A voice suddenly spoke.

Histoire and Noire turned to the source of the voice, which seemed to be coming from the door. After seeing the person at the door, their eyes widened in surprise.

"You... you're... but... how...?"

Noire couldn't believe who she just saw.

* * *

 **There! Chapter 8 is done!**

 **The last few paragraphs is a revision, because the site messed up with me. I finished the chapter, then when I pressed save, the site logged me out, and my work wasn't saved. Goodness.**

 **Anyways, I'll be working on Change The World again! Not sure when I could update, but I'll work on it as fast as I could, but of course, quality comes first.**

 **Please drop your reviews/comments/suggestions/violent reactions! They help. Like, a lot, really. :)**

 **Until next time, see ya guys!**


	9. An Inevitable Failure (Epilogue Part 1)

**Hello Guys! Time for Chapter 9!**

 **Alright, I'm gonna start with the reviews from the last chapter.**

 **To Raph: She wasn't obsessed. Well, I can't fault you for thinking like that, because that's what it actually looked like, but nah, she really isn't. She just can't let Neptune murder anyone. And about no permanent deaths... hmmm...? I wonder about that.**

 **Anyways, this story has more or less 2 chapters less including this one, so I will finish this first before working back on Change The World.**

 **Alright, no more chatters, got nothing to say more other than my gratitude to the people supporting the story! Onto the chapter now, enjoy!**

* * *

Leanbox - City.

In the middle of the city, there were two people, CPUs to be precise, clashing against each other. But it was no ordinary clash. As their weapons collided with each other, their surroundings were affected as well. But they couldn't care less about that because if any of them did, it would be their end.

As that battle was a battle to the death.

Even from afar, one would feel an intense bloodlust coming from the center of the city. Add that the place was already in ruins due to the battle, one wouldn't think of anything other than utter destruction. It may also be seen as collateral damage.

The two CPUs clashing were none other than the CPU of Leanbox and the CPU of Planeptune; Green Heart and Purple Heart, respectively. Near them, a cage of swords was erected, imprisoning two other CPUs who dared to interrupt their battle earlier, namely the CPU of Lowee and the other CPU of Planeptune; White Heart and Iris Heart, respectively.

"Looks like my plan's busted." Iris Heart said as she tried to destroy their floor in hopes of getting out of the cage, but it seemed like the ground was fortified by the cage, rendering her weapon useless. "Neppy's really smart."

"Like I said, this is not the time to be impressed by her!" Blanc said as she slammed her axe down to the ground. "At this rate, we won't be able to stop Neptune!"

Iris Heart didn't say a word. She gave it another thought. About Neptune killing Green Heart.

Why though? Why were they trying so hard to prevent Neptune from killing Green Heart, knowing who was at fault here?

"Actually, now that I gave it another thought, I don't mind Neptune killing her." Iris Heart said nonchalantly.

That answer completely surprised White Heart. "...What? What the fuck are you saying?! This is not what Noire wants!"

Iris Heart's eyebrow twitched as she heard Noire's name. Yes, it was indeed what Noire didn't want. She never wanted Neptune to become a murderer. The reason why was still unknown to Iris Heart and White Heart. That's just it, end of discussion. Noire didn't want Neptune to kill anyone, and nothing could persuade her to change her mind.

"I know, and I also know that Noire wouldn't want Green Heart get killed by Neptune even though she herself almost got killed by Green Heart." Iris Heart said. "Though I don't know what's going on with her mind for thinking like that."

White Heart was speechless. Now that Iris Heart mentioned that, she got a point. She also had no idea about Noire's way of thinking. White Heart never questioned Noire's objectives, as she didn't really have the right to do so, after getting saved by her despite directing her anger to Noire because of her people being unfaithful to her.

"Yes, yes. But that's the least of our worries right now." White Heart said as she lifted her axe, and smashed the sword cage, but her attack was reflected back and pushed her back. "What we should think right now is getting out of here."

Iris Heart sighed. "Yes, sorry about my ramblings."

 **~o~O~o~**

Above the ocean that separates Leanbox and Planeptune, there were two people riding a hovering vehicle.

"How are you feeling, Noire?"

Noire, the CPU of Lastation. The girl wearing an apparel consisted of a dark gray tank top with a blue ribbon in the center and a matching skirt with blue highlights on the pleats. Her stomach with a bandage wrapped around it was exposed. She had detached sleeves covering her arms, but are open at the upper arm and attached by a black strap and buckle. She was wearing an over-the-knee blue socks and dark gray boots that match her upper apparel.

"..."

Noire didn't reply. She just stared at the girl who was talking to her.

"You know, I couldn't look at you when I have to keep my eyes on the road..." The other girl said. "Scratch that, we're on the ocean."

But Noire still didn't reply. She was wondering about something. She wanted to ask it, but she couldn't find herself doing so, and it was pretty obvious to the other girl.

The other girl sighed. "I know what you're thinking." She said. "If you want to know, just ask. I'm easy to talk to."

With that, Noire finally decided to talk. "You're... Neptune... right?" She asked.

Noire then heard a muffled chuckle from Neptune. "See, that's pretty easy, right?" Neptune said. "Yes, I am indeed Neptune, but not the Neptune you know."

Neptune, the supposedly CPU of Planeptune, but she herself said it that she wasn't the one. Noire knew it as well because this Neptune and the Neptune she knew was completely different from each other. This Neptune with her was more mature, with beautiful long lilac hair, with black D-pads attached on it. Her sideburns reaching her collarbone, and was wearing a black choker around her neck. She was wearing the same one-piece parka dress, but hers was colored black, and paired with a purple hood. She wore no socks, exposing her fine, long legs, with a black and purple gun holster attached to her left thigh.

Noire's eyes widened after hearing that. She hadn't mentioned about 'Neptune' yet, but for some reason, this Neptune knew about her already. "How do you know that there's another you?"

"You're seriously asking me that? That should be pretty obvious, you know." Neptune said.

Noire didn't quite get what she meant by that. For some reason, she couldn't think straight. "Sorry, I just recovered from a fatal wound, and I can't really think properly."

"Oh, that explains the bandage around your waist." Neptune said, somehow feeling a little guilty. "Sorry about that."

"It's no problem, really."

There was a moment of silence between them after that conversation before Neptune resumed to talk. "You see, I have been traveling from different dimensions, but my homeland is the Planeptune here." Neptune said. "I just got back here at the time when Planeptune got another CPU. I decided to look into this new CPU... and surprise. I was surprised to see a mirror image of myself as a CPU."

"You never traveled to other dimensions since then?"

Neptune nodded. "Yeah, that little version of me interests me." She said and smiled at herself. "Care to tell me more about her?"

"..."

Not really sure if that was a good thing to do, Noire still did talk about Neptune. They still had a long way before they arrive at Leanbox, anyway.

"She... Neptune... I met her fifteen years ago. Back then, we had no idea where she came from." Noire said.

Neptune's grips on the steering wheel tightened. "But now, you do, right?"

"Yes." Noire replied as she nodded in agreement. "She's from another dimension, but we still don't know how and why she was transported here." She continued. "Additionally, she didn't have any recollection of her past, though she could remember fragments of her memories now, I couldn't say that it's a good thing."

"Why so?"

Noire bit her lip. "When she transforms, her past memories will rush inside her mind, and her personality changes. Her past isn't something that happiness could be derived from." She said and gripped on her skirt. Again and again, she knew that it wasn't her fault, but she still couldn't get away from the guilt. "Histoire managed to take a peek inside Neptune's memories when she was injured before, and what she saw there was the reason why her personality shifts every time she transforms."

"I'm listening." Neptune said.

"Back in her dimension, there were four CPUs, including her, battling among themselves. But for some unknown reasons, the other three teamed up against Neptune, and removed her from existence."

Removed her from existence might be a little exaggerated, but seeing how Neptune ended up here, it was partly correct. At the very least, in the dimension where she came from.

Neptune had an inkling feeling about that. It was somehow faintly familiar to her, but she wasn't sure, so she kept her mouth and let Noire finish her story.

"The three CPUs in her memories weren't just anybody. They're my, the CPU of Lowee's, and the CPU of Leanbox's counterparts from this dimension." Noire continued. "And whenever Neptune transforms, she's set out for revenge, and tries to kill us."

"But so far, none of you has been killed yet?" Neptune asked.

Noire nodded. "Yes. On my part, 'Neptune' managed to stop herself right before I was about to get stabbed by her." She said, giving emphasis on 'Neptune'. Neptune understood that, as she knew that her smaller version had two personalities inside her. "A week ago, I found myself in conflict with the CPU of Lowee, Blanc. Neptune recognized Blanc, and stormed at her nation during the night, and attempted to kill her."

Neptune remained silent. For some reason, she understood what her counterpart was feeling inside. No, that wasn't somehow correct. But still, she did know what would she feel if she was in her counterpart's shoes.

"And now, Neptune's in Leanbox, on the same attempt to do what she tried to do with Blanc." Noire said and clenched her fists. "But this time, I might not be able to stop her..."

"Yet you're still willing to go there and stop her." Neptune said. "It's practically suicide, you know, given your injury."

"I know, but still..."

Noire stopped on her thoughts.

"But still...?" Neptune curiously asked.

Noire bit her lip once more. She just realized why she was so against Neptune killing Green Heart, given that she almost got killed by her. She should feel angered, but she didn't feel that way. "But still... I... don't want her to become a murderer..." Noire finally said. "She's a cheerful girl and smiles brightly. I want her to stay that way, and I will do whatever it takes to ensure that."

Neptune was amazed by Noire's determination. She was almost about to ask her how far would she go for her smaller counterpart, but then, she got an answer without asking for it. There's no mistake; Noire would do everything for the smaller Neptune.

"What made you so overprotective of her? You were strangers before." Neptune asked.

Overprotective... would be a little too much, but Noire didn't try to refute that, as she knew that it was partly correct. The answer to Neptune's question; she had it with her, and she knew what that was.

"I've seen her cry." Noire said.

Neptune was surprised with Noire's answer. "Eh? You've seen her cry? That's it?"

Noire felt that she was being mocked and glared sharply at Neptune. Despite the lilac-haired girl not looking at Noire's direction, she could feel the daggers from Noire's glares. "My bad, I didn't mean it as an insult."

Noire didn't say a word and just eyed the lilac-haired girl. Neptune couldn't concentrate on her, uh, sailing because of that, as her palms were sweating a lot. "C-Care to tell me in detail?"

"Like hell I can do that." Noire said as she crossed her arms.

"Oh yeah, of course, it would be impossible... Sorry about that."

There was an awkward silence around them afterward. Neptune mentally slapped herself for asking that very stupid question. Well, asking someone to explain in detail about someone's crying face was weird on many levels. More importantly, it was her counterpart. She never once cried for all she knew in her life, aside from when she was an infant, of course, and to witness something like that...

"But..." Noire broke the silence. "The sight of Neptune crying is something that I didn't like. I do not want her to cry, be it in her HDD for or in her human form. I do not want to see her shed a tear, ever."

Neptune was silent. That must've been a very harsh experience for both of them. It didn't take her everything to know where that event occurred, judging from what Noire just told her. It couldn't be any time other than when Neptune was trying to kill Noire. But whatever happened during that event, was something she didn't bother knowing, as it was beyond her concern.

Aside from that, Neptune also knew how Noire felt for her smaller counterpart. Whether Noire knew it herself or not was something that Neptune didn't know.

Not long after that, they had arrived at Leanbox. The place they stopped at was a coast, as it would be safer if they wanted to remain unspotted.

"This is as far as I can take you." Neptune said as she and Noire stepped out of the vehicle. "Just follow the signs and you will arrive in the city."

Noire turned to Neptune. "You're not coming with me?"

"No, I don't want to." Neptune said.

"Why so?" Noire asked. It would be easy for her to understand her if she said she can't come, but no, Neptune didn't really want to come with her.

Neptune narrowed her eyes as she turned to Noire. "You'd let a human get near to where two CPUs are fighting? I don't have a death wish, you know."

"Oh."

"What kind of reaction was that?"

"I forgot that you're not a CPU, since you're Neptune as well..." Noire said.

Neptune sighed. That wasn't a really good reason to forget that she's a human. "Anyways, you better get going now."

"Thanks for your help, Neptune." Noire said as she gave Neptune a smile of gratitude.

Neptune just gave her a thumbs up before going back to her vehicle. "Oh, and one more thing."

Noire raised an eyebrow as she asked what was up. Neptune's expression turned into a serious one, which somehow made Noire a little nervous all of a sudden.

"Remember Noire. You're the only one who can end her suffering." Neptune said and then sailed back to the ocean, not giving Noire a chance to say anything.

Noire was left speechless as she stared at Neptune who just sailed back to the ocean. She wondered why Neptune said that. Was Neptune suffering?

"..."

Of course, Noire could see that. Being chased by your past memories you want to get away from, wasn't really a good experience. But, she didn't know why Neptune would say that she was the only one who can end 'Neptune's' suffering. She didn't even know how to do that.

"..."

Yes, of course, she wanted to do that, but if there was a way to do that, she would've done it ages ago. The older Neptune should've known that, yet she still said the very obvious thing, like she was implying something else that Noire hadn't done yet.

Noire closed her eyes and tried to establish a share link with her nation's shares to check if she had enough. She could feel a strong flow of shares rushing through her, but her body was limiting the flow as it wasn't in a perfect condition. But she deemed it enough to transform for a while.

"Better save some energy." Noire decided to not transform and walked towards the city.

 **~o~O~o~**

"...Ngh...!"

 ***CLANG!***

The battle in the center city of Leanbox was still going on. The buildings around the two CPUs clashing against each other were already reduced to rubble, but neither of them gave two cares about that, as the only thing they had in mind was eliminating each other.

"Yaaah!"

The CPU of Planeptune, Purple Heart, was on the offensive, while the CPU of Leanbox, Green Heart, was on the defensive. Green Heart was having a hard time assessing Purple Heart's strength and movements, as every time she managed to predict her move, Purple Heart's attack pattern completely changes, not giving any leeway to her enemy.

 ***CLANG!***

"What's wrong, tired already?" Purple Heart taunted as she locked her weapons to Green Heart's. She was already using two weapons, her usual katana in her right hand, and a 32-bit Mega Blade in her left hand, while Green Heart was using twin spears to block Purple Heart's attacks.

"Hah, you should say that to yourself." Green Heart said and then backed away from Purple Heart and releasing her weapons in a heartbeat, which made the CPU of Planeptune stumble forward. Green Heart then summoned another set of twin spears and charged back to her enemy, with her spears thrust forward. "This is your end!"

Purple Heart smirked. She faked her stumbling, which surprised Green Heart. She then stabbed both of her weapons, and then flipped her body upwards, avoiding Green Heart's attack right before she could be stabbed. "You're taking me lightly." She then flipped her body downward in a second and kicked Green Heart's back with great strength as she got above her.

"GUAH-!" Green Heart lost her balance and slid on the ground as she failed to avoid Purple Heart's kick. "...Damn it...!" She then pulled herself up and rolled forward as she felt Purple Heart heading her way. The Planeptune CPU's murderous intent was too intimidating that their whole battlefield was filled with it. She was really set on killing Green Heart on the spot.

Purple Heart then summoned multiple Mega bit blades behind her and threw them to Green Heart, who then made a wall of spears to block the blades. Green Heart didn't let herself get pinned down and immediately moved away from the first shield while creating another shield of spears to block the incoming attacks.

'This is going nowhere...' Green Heart thought as she kept on moving and blocking the barrage of blades from her opponent. "Wha-?!" She was surprised and slid her feet onto the ground to stop her movement as she saw a humongous Mega blade drop down right in front of her, which would definitely crush her if she didn't snap back from her thoughts. She looked upwards and saw Purple Heart running down on the blade with lightning speed.

Green Heart wouldn't be able to dodge whatever attack Purple Heart would deliver. She herself knew that. She would be sliced in half before she could get away from Purple Heart. But before she could make a detailed decision, Purple Heart was already just a few feet away from her, ready to take her head. Green Heart was left with nothing but to block Purple Heart's attack as she dropped down and delivered a heavy downward slash. As their weapons clashed, the ground under Green Heart's feet cracked due to the intense shockwave produced by the clash.

"...Ngh...!" Green Heart gritted her teeth as she tried to keep Purple Heart's katana from reaching her head. The attack was too strong and heavy, and she was surprised that she managed to block it, though she could feel her arms getting a little wobbly after that.

The ground cracked once more. Her arms couldn't keep the force from Purple Heart's weapon. They were about to give up, and they mostly will if she won't do a thing.

"Damn you...!" She summoned multiple spears on the skies and rained them down to their whole area.

"...!"

Purple Heart instinctively pulled away from Green Heart, and the Leanbox CPU did as well as the spears rained on them, trying to avoid them.

But both of them did not get away unscathed.

"...Nghrk!" Both of the CPUs grunted in pain as they felt the spears damage their bodies. Green Heart was sliced by her own spears on her right arm, her right sides, and got impaled on her left leg. While Purple Heart suffered a stab on her left shoulder, and a slice on her right leg.

Purple Heart pulled the spear that was stuck on her left shoulder, which earned herself a river of pain. "...You're crazy, but I commend you for your guts."

"..." Green Heart could just glare at Purple Heart.

"But... You know that you're at a greater disadvantage now... right?" Purple Heart said as she smirked.

The Leanbox CPU gritted her teeth. She knew that, of course. She was already at a bad disadvantage earlier, and now, injuring herself just to get away from Purple Heart decreased her chances of survival. Not to mention that she suffered more damage than Purple Heart.

"...Kh...!" Green Heart grunted in pain as she pulled the spear impaled on her leg. The spear pierced through her thigh, rendering her whole leg useless. She tried to heal her wounds using the power of shares, but she couldn't completely heal it as she would need to directly connect herself to the share energy reserves because the damage she suffered was too great, and so she only managed to stop the bleeding. She sighed in relief as the pain subsided a little, but as soon as she turned back to Purple Heart, she saw her in a stance ready to charge at her.

"...!"

Before she could react, Purple Heart was already in front of her.

"Cross Combination."

Green Heart's eyes widened. Purple Heart then delivered two quick downward slashes, which Green Heart parried them with her quickly summoned spear, but it broke after the second slash. Purple Heart then did a spin slash, which sliced Green Heart's abdomen who was left unarmed.

"..Urgh..!"

Green Heart summoned another spear to parry Purple Heart's next downward slash, followed by an uppercut slash which launched her to mid-air, much to her surprise.

"Wha-?!"

In an instant, Purple Heart jumped up to her and then delivered another downward slash. Green Heart blocked the attack by using her spear, but she was blown directly down to the ground.

"AGH-!" She grunted in pain as her back crashed to the ground. She could taste iron in her mouth, and then coughed some blood afterward. Her body suffered great damage, both internally and externally. Any more of that would definitely kill her.

"Did you think you have the luxury to rest?"

Green Heart immediately opened her eyes and saw Purple Heart dropping down to her. She ignored all the pain in her body and rolled backward to avoid getting impaled by Purple Heart's katana. But she didn't have time to breathe yet as Purple Heart was already heading towards her way.

"Ngh...!"

Purple Heart delivered an upward slash, in which the Leanbox CPU tried to block it with her spear, but her arms were devoid of strength already and so she was easily disarmed. Her weapon was blown away from her hands as soon she blocked Purple Heart's attack.

"...!"

Green Heart panicked. She messed up. She completely messed it up. And she knew it.

"I think it's time for you to die." Purple Heart said and grinned evilly at the Leanbox's CPU.

"...!"

Purple Heart spun around and then delivered a downward slash in a heartbeat, from Green Heart's upper right torso down to her lower left waist. The ground shook as well, and a strong shockwave scattered around the area. The blood of the Planeptune CPU's opponent splattered all over her body, whilst not even bothering to wipe it. Green Heart didn't even release a scream as she was slashed and just silently fell on the ground, with her body bathing in her own blood.

 **~o~O~o~**

"What the fuck's going on?!" Blanc, in her current form, known as White Heart, said as she felt the ground shake. Her companion, Plutia, or in her current form, Iris Heart, didn't say a word as she just held on her weapon.

They then saw the cage of swords getting cracks. "Brace yourself!" Plutia said as she summoned a barrier around them. At the very same moment, the cage of swords was shattered, with its fragments got blown everywhere like a shrapnel. As soon as the tremor died down, Plutia released the barrier. The first thing they saw was Purple Heart, who was meters away from them. They couldn't see the CPU of Leanbox anywhere.

"Is it over yet?" Blanc asked.

Plutia didn't answer as she just stared at Purple Heart's figure. She gestured Blanc to stay right where she was and then walked towards Purple Heart, slowly. Half-way, she felt an ominous aura coming from her friend, and so she gripped tight on her snake sword. "Neppy...?"

But she received no replies. Instead, Purple Heart just turned to Plutia. By that time, Plutia had her question answered, and she immediately backed away from Purple Heart and went back to Blanc.

"What the...?" Blanc couldn't believe it when she saw Purple Heart. The purple goddess was covered in blood, and there was a body bathing in a pool of blood behind her. "Did you kill Green Heart, Neptune?!" Blanc asked, though she already knew it beforehand.

Neptune didn't say a word and just walked slowly towards them. Half-way there, she raised her katana, and licked the blood spilled on the blade. Plutia and Blanc then readied their weapons as they felt nothing but danger coming from Neptune. They couldn't see it, but they definitely felt the immense power Neptune had in her like she powered up greatly.

"This is good... Yes... finally..." Neptune said. She then readied her katana and in just a second, she was already in front of Blanc, who was greatly surprised with her display of speed.

"Wha-?!" While Blanc knew that Neptune had ridiculous speed, this was on another level. She almost moved at the speed of light.

At the very instant, Neptune did a spin slash, in which Blanc successfully blocked it with her axe, but she was blown away by the force of Neptune's katana. Blanc crashed into a house several meters away from them, in which it looked like she would be out of commission for a while as the rubble fell on her.

"Come back to your senses, Neppy!" Plutia wasted zero time and attempted to attack Neptune right after Blanc was blown away, but she only slashed an afterimage as Neptune was already behind her.

"You won't be able to defeat me if your attacks do not have the resolve to kill me." Neptune said. Plutia immediately moved away from her position, but Neptune didn't give chase. "I have nothing against you, but I always welcome new challengers."

Plutia gritted her teeth. This was a completely different Neptune. Maybe killing Green Heart finally woke her up? She could only assume, but either way, she was in a dangerous situation. She's got no choice. Nobody was around them to help her stop Neptune. And so she readied her snake sword, but as soon as she was about to attack...

 ***CRASH!***

A giant sword dropped down between her and Neptune. It was no ordinary giant sword. Plutia knew what sword that was and to whom it belonged.

A giant Torneraid Sword. In other words...

"Noire...!" She said and looked up high. From the top of the sword, a figure of a woman could be seen. She was wearing a gray bodysuit, with multiple armaments of the same color around her. She was wielding a great sword colored in series of silver and gray. Her silver hair tied in twin-tail was waving due to the wind getting a little stronger than before as she stood still at the tip of the Torneraid Sword's handle. She was also staring down at Neptune, but Plutia could not see her face, nor the face she was making.

As soon as the giant sword disappeared, Noire landed down on the ground slowly. Plutia didn't waste a second and immediately flew towards her. "Noire, what are you doing here?! Your body's not in a good condition!"

But Noire didn't reply. Instead, she just turned around to Plutia with a serious look.

"Don't give me that look!"

Noire was about to hit her, but she held herself back. "Then, can you defeat Neptune? Can you even hurt her?"

"That's..."

Plutia was rendered speechless. That question was too heavy for her to answer, as it was somewhat related to what Neptune said to her earlier. She wouldn't win against Neptune unless she aims to take her life.

"But Noire, can you do it? You ca-"

"I can." Noire interrupted Plutia before she could finish what she wanted to say. Plutia's eyes widened in surprise. Of all people, she didn't expect Noire to be the one who can hurt Neptune. "If it's a way to stop Neptune, then I will do it, even if it's against my own will." She said as she gripped on her weapon tightly. She already made her decision, and no one could change her mind.

Because that very moment was the moment she decided to _end_ all of this once and for all.

"But your body is not in a good condition to fight! You're just going to kill yourself if you push your body past its limits!" Plutia said, but it didn't affect Noire's decision.

"My condition does not matter at this point. What matters is stopping Neptune." She said.

There was something wrong with Noire. Plutia knew it, but she didn't know exactly what was off from Noire. It was like, she's the same as Neptune. A completely different person. When Noire stepped forward, Plutia didn't have the resolve to stop her. Noire's determination was so strong that Plutia felt so small as she stared at the Lastation CPU's back. All she could do was look at her.

How she wished that she had Noire's determination, but no, she never gave her everything on anything, and so, a determination was something she would never have.

Noire then faced Neptune, but she said no words. Both she and Neptune just stared at each other's eyes.

"Noire..." Neptune called, with an amused look on her face. "It's good to see you..."

But Noire didn't fall for Neptune's tricks. She wouldn't when Neptune's body was covered in blood, and she knew it was someone else's blood. And that someone wasn't just anyone. Noire knew that it was Green Heart's blood, as she saw her body lying on a pool of blood when she was above her Torneraid Sword.

"Neptune..." Noire called back. This time, it wouldn't be the same fight as before in Lowee. Add that her body was still healing, she was at a great disadvantage. But she didn't yield, and she never would.

"I promise you..." Noire took a step forward and then pointed her greatsword at Neptune.

 **"...That this will be our last battle, together."**

* * *

 **Alright, chapter 9 is done.**

 **Okay, my plans didn't go well, so I cut this chapter short. It should've been longer, but I didn't have the time to make it longer today, since I fixed all the requirements in school for my graduation, and I got home around 7 in the evening, so I just finished this for tonight. My review session starts tomorrow so I'll have lesser time to work on my fics, but I will still try to work on it from time to time. My future is depending on it, hue.**

 **Since I cut the chapter, there would be two more chapters for this story. Yes, it's final. By chapter 11, the fic would be done. I'd put Change The World on hiatus until I finish this fic, so there's that.**

 **I just did a quick proofread in this chapter. It's already 10PM here and I have class at 8AM tomorrow, but I need to wake up early because my travel from home to the review center takes roughly an hour and a half average, so if you see some errors, please point it out. :)**

 **Leave your reviews! Your comments/suggestions/violent reactions are widely accepted :)**

 **Until next time, see ya guys!**


	10. An Inevitable Failure (Epilogue Part 2)

**Hello, guys! Time for chapter 10!**

 **First, I want to apologize for the very long update. Can't do anything about it, of course. I will prioritize my reviews over my fics, but I will never stop it, lmao. Just half a year of struggle, and pass my licensure exams.**

 **Anyways, to answer your questions!**

 **To Etihwww: TL;DR! Just kidding, I read everything of it. Well, first of all, I didn't really plan for Neptune to have 'that' much character development. If you know where I'm getting at. Plus, I find it a little hard to do so, since being a damsel in distress or something. Well, the fic bares it all :) Second, she already knew it when her friends bring her back to her senses. She might not know what exactly had happened, but she knows that something had happened. End of Blanc's arc revealed it. She's still Nep, so she won't dote too much on it. About Noire, uhm, the fic would need to be longer for her to have a decent character development, which is I don't do because of time. About Plutia, well, she's a side character, to be honest(PLS DON'T KILL ME). There were a lot of changes in the storyline as I wrote it, and one of it was Plutia's role. The same goes with Blanc. They will have exclusive roles later. And also, thanks for your constructive thoughts! My goodness, that was great xD**

 **To Draen: Well, I did say Vert won't die, so you can assume that she indeed won't. I canceled Arfoire's arc. I didn't have the time to work on it anymore since if I included it, the fic would reach for about 15-20 chapters, which is not really my thing.**

 **To dragonmax225: Well, I won't say that Vert's 'Okay' given what happened to her. xD**

 **To Guest: Holy shit, that xD But no, it's not. It's just an overwater vehicle, nothing special. I didn't even know that reference you said xD It's purely coincidental, really.**

 **To StarKnight07: Well, I did say before that Vert won't die, so you can expect her to live. But of course, she won't get off the hook that easily. AND JESUS, do you perhaps know my real identity?! *panicking with embarrassment***

 **To** **Arantir: SURPRISE!**

 **Once again, the fic will end in the next chapter!**

 **I give all my thanks to those people supporting this story! And those people who were chatting with me on Facebook! Love you guys! :3**

 **Onto the chapter now, enjoy!**

* * *

Planeptune.

In the middle of the city, a girl with long, lilac hair, wearing a black parka dress, was walking down the streets. She didn't seem to have a pleasant look on her face as she was walking. In any case, today wasn't really a good day for her.

"Crostie, wake up."

She then pulled a notebook from one of her pockets and opened it. She flipped through the pages of her notebook until she found a page with a wing mark on it.

"I'm awake. I've heard everything, Neptune." A voice spoke. It seemed to be coming from the page with the wing mark, which floated out of the notebook.

Neptune stopped in her tracks. "Do you think it's _that dimension?_ "

"Most likely. Want to check it out?"

Neptune gave it a thought for a second but ultimately swung her head as she disagreed with Crostie. "No need. It's beyond my concern."

"Good, because I don't have the energy to do that either."

She then resumed her walk. She didn't have any particular destination, so she just wandered around the city aimlessly.

"Oi, Neptune. You're not being honest with yourself, aren't ya?"

That question seemed to take Neptune aback as she stopped in her tracks again. She was rendered speechless for a moment before she answered Crostie's question. "What are you talking about? I said that whatever is in that dimension is not my concern."

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it."

Neptune didn't say a word after that. Crostie read her mind, and Neptune indeed knew what she was talking about. It was the thing earlier when she said that she didn't want to come with Noire. She didn't want to come with Noire not because she didn't want to get caught in some crazy stuff that was currently happening in Leanbox, but because she didn't want to see that Noire might actually do what she _expected_ her to do.

 _ **"Remember Noire. You're the only one who can end her suffering."**_

Why did she say that? Neptune questioned herself about that. But she already knew the answer. And when she said that to Noire, she implied _something_. And that something was the reason why she regretted in telling Noire about that.

Either way, she was silent.

"Hmph, I don't particularly care about it, so keep it to yourself if you don't want to talk, for all I care." Crostie said. "More importantly, when are you going to release me?! It freaking sucks to get sucked dry by this goddess damned book, you know!"

Neptune sighed in relief. Good thing Crostie dropped the subject because she didn't really want to talk about it.

"I'd only do that if you will stop pestering _her_ and leave _her_ alone for good." Neptune said.

Crostie didn't seem to be pleased with that answer. "Who's this her? Why are you suddenly playing the pronoun game now?"

"Don't play dumb. You know who I am talking about."

Crostie didn't say a word after that. Neptune waited for a bit in hopes for Crostie to talk again, but it seemed like her lips were sealed for good.

"Looks like you'll be staying there for a bit longer then."

 **~o~O~o~**

Leanbox.

Also known as The Land of Green Pastures. Serenity and elegance weren't too uncommon in this nation, as wherever you turn your eyes to, you'd see cleanliness and beauty.

But as of now, neither of those were present.

A city in ruins would be the closest description of Leanbox right now. In every corner of the nation, only ruined things could be seen, like a great catastrophe just passed by.

But, that catastrophe didn't pass by. It was still in Leanbox. And that catastrophe wasn't a natural phenomenon. It was catastrophe personified. Personified by a goddess. The goddess was standing in the middle of the ruined city. She was clothed in a dark purple bodysuit with a katana on her hand. One would question how did she lead such a beautiful nation into destruction, but the answer would be simple. She was set to eliminate her enemy. The destruction of the city was just collateral damage.

Right in front of her, another goddess was pointing her weapon at her. This goddess is the goddess of another nation, Lastation. She goes by the name of Black Heart, and she was the next target of the goddess in purple.

"Neptune..." Black Heart mumbled. She still couldn't believe any of this, though it didn't come as a surprise to her. The goddess of purple, Neptune, was stained with blood, specifically the blood of her enemy, Green Heart, the CPU of Leanbox.

Neptune did not say a word and just dashed towards Black Heart, in which she did the same as a response.

"Noire...!"

As they got close to each other, both of them swung their weapons, with a very strong murderous intent. Their weapons clashed, releasing an intense shockwave that spread out almost half a kilometer radius. The spectator, Iris Heart, the first CPU of Planeptune, who was a little far away from them, could just brace herself to avoid getting blown away. The display of strength of the two CPUs fighting was getting out of control, as their surroundings were affected with every clash of their weapons.

Iris Heart wanted to stop both of them, but it seemed to be impossible. Getting between them would be just asking them to kill her.

"Noire..." Iris Heart said as she stared at the silver-haired CPU. She never understood what was going on in Noire's mind recently, and now with her fighting Neptune as if she wanted to kill her made it more senseless in more ways than one. Was it too late for Neptune now?

All she could do was watch.

After some time, Noire and Neptune backed away from each other. It seemed like they were going on a stale as none of them landed a hit on each other. Though Noire was at a disadvantage because she could feel her wound opening a little. She was overexerting herself, while Neptune was the same but not in the same danger as Noire. The injury she suffered from Green Heart's attack was still taking a toll on her, though.

"Hey Noire..."

Noire didn't reply a word and just glared at Neptune. She knew that Neptune was trying to catch her off-guard, but she wouldn't fall for it.

"Why aren't you saying anything...?" Neptune said.

Still, Noire kept her mouth shut. Her eyes were glued on the purple goddess, not letting her out of her sight. She knew the extent of Neptune's strength, and so one mistake could be her demise.

"You're not getting under my skin, Neptune." Noire said as she gripped on her greatsword tighter.

Without a warning, Neptune disappeared from Noire's sight and appeared instantly in front of Noire, ready to deliver a downward slash. Noire evaded her attack by sidestepping right after Neptune appeared, and then delivered a spinning slash, but Neptune managed to avoid it by ducking.

"Not bad, Noire."

Neptune twisted her body around and faced Noire. She then pushed her katana towards Noire, aiming her heart. The silver-haired CPU didn't try to avoid it and just parried the attack by sliding the blunt edge of her weapon onto Neptune's katana, creating a massive spark due to the friction.

"I don't need your compliments."

As Noire got close to Neptune, she delivered a headbutt attack, temporarily stunning her. She then wasted zero time and kicked Neptune on her stomach, blowing her several meters away, and crashing onto a nearby building.

"...Ngh..."

Noire stabbed her sword on the ground and gripped on her stomach as she felt a very strong pain from her insides. She just did a flashy move, and it backfired on her body. She looked down to her abdomen and saw faint tints of red on her stomach. Her body won't hold out if this continued, and she knew it very well that she was already at her limits.

But she still couldn't subdue Neptune.

After a few moments, the building where Neptune crashed into suddenly exploded, which surprised Noire big time. She then saw Neptune walking out of the burning building, with purple aura emanating from her body as she held on her katana. Noire suddenly felt a chill down her spine as she stared at the figure walking towards her. She still could not figure out where Neptune was drawing her power, and she surely knew that it wasn't just share energy that she was using since Planeptune didn't have that many shares. Add that there were two CPUs governing the nation, so the shares were somehow swinging from Plutia to Neptune and vice versa.

"Ah-hah, this is getting boring now." Neptune said as she held her katana in front of her torso. "Let's end this farce now."

Noire gripped on her weapon tighter, but she could feel her strength dropping down as her hands were somehow numb already. She was already at her limits, and her body won't hold out any longer.

"...!"

In a heartbeat, Neptune disappeared and reappeared in front of Noire, ready to slice her in half. Noire instinctively raised her weapon and blocked the attack by holding on both ends of her weapon, but she was pushed back a few meters away.

"...So strong...!" Noire gritted her teeth. She could not fight back at all.

But that didn't end there. Neptune chased Noire, and delivered another heavy blow, pushing the silver-haired CPU once again as she blocked the attack. Followed by another chase, another attack, and another block. It repeated for a while, but the sequence of attacks was taking a heavy toll on Noire's body.

"...Nrgh..." Noire could feel her wound from her abdomen slightly opening up, but she didn't have time to worry nor check it, as Neptune didn't give her a chance to. Neptune's every attack was growing stronger, and Noire couldn't keep up anymore.

Or Noire was just getting weaker?

 **~o~O~o~**

Iris Heart was frozen on the spot.

She just stood her ground, with her weapon stuck on the ground as her support because the tremor created by her friends battling each other was too strong. If the ground's foundation was weak, it would only be a matter of time before it would collapse, but good thing that didn't happen. She couldn't stop them, not because she didn't have the strength to do so; partly maybe. But the reason why she couldn't because it would mean that she would trample Noire's resolve.

"Noire..."

That resolve of hers would definitely kill her, yet Iris Heart couldn't stop her. She felt powerless. She called herself their friend, yet she could not do a thing for them.

Even _that time_ from fifteen years ago.

It repeated. The very same thing that happened that time was playing again in front of her, but it was different this time. _Neptune_ had full control of herself, unlike before, and those words that she said to Iris Heart earlier.

 _ **"You won't be able to defeat me if your attacks do not have the resolve to kill me."**_

A sentence that held so much weight, to Iris Heart, at least. Just a single swing of her weapon gave Neptune an idea about what she was feeling. Iris Heart lacked resolve, and she herself knew it.

Because she was afraid.

They were friends, but she didn't have the resolve to do what must be done for her. That she must be stopped at all costs. But stopping her could only mean one thing.

"..."

She knew it. It was the only method that could stop Neptune. That's why she was afraid. She could not do it.

But Noire said she could.

Up to this moment, she still had no idea what was going on inside Noire's mind. Even with her condition, she would _do it._ Stop Neptune, that is.

Was there anything she could do? There wasn't. All she could do was watch. If she were to interfere, she might endanger Noire's life. Plus, the shares of Planeptune was unbalanced; Neptune was using a lot of it. If she were to add herself to the flow, Planeptune's shares might crash, and the whole nation would be in danger.

And so, all she could do was grit her teeth.

"Blanc...!"

She remembered the Lowee CPU, who just crashed into something earlier as she blocked Neptune's attack. She hurried to where Blanc collided with, and saw her unconscious, with the Lowee CPU back in her human form. Iris Heart checked her vitals and sighed in relief after knowing that they were stable. Blanc was just unconscious due to the shock and crash that she received.

Iris Heart then lifted Blanc up and carried her to somewhere safe. Well, basically, there was no safe place in Leanbox, as the whole nation was a battlefield. So she just took her far away from the center of the nation. She was surprised that there wasn't a single person in the vicinity anymore.

"Looks like they have an evacuation passage anywhere." She sighed in relief. She wouldn't have to think about civilian casualties anymore.

After a few moments of flight, she found an inn. She went inside, and of course, there wasn't a single soul in the lobby. She then laid Blanc on the nearby sofa. It looked like Blanc wouldn't wake up any sooner, or so she . So, there was one more person to worry about.

"Green Heart."

She wasn't really worrying about her, just thinking a little. But not to the extent of being worried. Not to sound like a Tsundere, of course.

"...Forget it. Stopping both of them should-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the ground shook. It was a little weak, but as seconds passed by, it was growing stronger.

"..."

Now, Plutia was having second thoughts about getting in between Noire and Neptune's way. Their fight was escalating to extreme levels.

"...What the... hell's going... on...?" A voice suddenly spoke.

Plutia turned to the source of the voice and saw Blanc regain her consciousness. She had her hand on her forehead which seemed to be in pain. "...My head hurts..."

"Blanc, just lie down. You hit your head pretty hard earlier." Plutia said as she pushed Blanc down. "Just rest."

"...What's with the quakes? Are Neptune and Noire still going on at it...?"

Plutia bit her lip before nodding. "...Unfortunately, yes. And the damage they are causing is spreading." She clenched her fists.

The ground shook again, but it was far stronger that the ones from before. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling was swinging violently, seemingly almost detaching itself. "...You think it's safe here?"

"No, but at the very least safer than any other." Plutia said.

Blanc didn't look so surprised. "Anyways, any ideas on how to stop those two?"

"Not in the slightest. Getting in between them seems like a very hard task." Plutia said as she swung her head. That was partly a lie though.

"So, all we can do is wait for an opening, huh?"

Plutia didn't like that idea though, but if that was the only option for them, then so be it.

Blanc then remembered something... or someone. "By the way, where is Green Heart?"

"I left her there."

Blanc was surprised with that answer. "You LEFT HER THERE?! What in the world are you thinking?!"

"I don't care a single bit if she dies or not." Plutia said nonchalantly. "Judging by that injury she suffered from Neptune, I bet she's pretty much dead right now."

Blanc face palmed. She just remembered that Plutia didn't give a damn about Green Heart. But still, letting that CPU die would be a complete waste, and Blanc knew that as well.

"We can't be sure about that unless we verify it ourselves." Blanc said. "We can't let her die. We have to capture her."

"Oh, what are you suggesting?" Plutia asked.

"We're going to make her pay for what she has done." Blanc said.

Suddenly, Plutia had this urge to rescue Vert. She liked that idea, even with that blatant explanation, she knew what Blanc was talking about. "About that... will you let me handle it?"

For some reason, Blanc had this chill on her spine. Well, it was her intention to let Plutia handle it anyway because it was her nation that was attacked initially, so it would be right if she would be the one to bestow punishment to Green Heart. "...Just don't let her break immediately. I want my fair share as well."

"We have a deal then." Plutia said and stormed out of the inn and went back to the battlefield.

 **~o~O~o~**

 ***CLANG!***

The sounds of weapons clashing were still going on for a while in Leanbox. Never once it stopped, as nobody could stop it except the ones who were causing it.

Noire and Neptune. The CPU of Lastation and Planeptune, respectively.

"AGH-!" Noire grunted in pain as she received a kick from Neptune on her abdomen and got blown few meters away. She crashed and slid on the ground, earning a good few distance from Neptune. "...Ugh..."

She coughed blood afterward. Her body was already past its limits. Every nook and cranny of her body were full of wounds, yet she still was going to fight. She would never give up, even if her body breaks. She was going to save Neptune, no matter what.

She slowly stood up, with her sword as a support. She then checked her stomach; it was fully painted with red by her blood. She then averted her eyes away and ignored it. She's got better things to worry about.

Like her fight with Neptune.

She turned back to Neptune and saw her slowly descending from midair. The purple goddess slowly walked towards Noire. "Why don't you give up, Noire? Your body is beyond all repairs now."

"Heh, that's the least of my worries... now." She felt weak from her knees as she attempted to stand up which made her fall down on her knees. "...Damn it."

Neptune sighed. She couldn't bear to continue this anymore. "Yeah, sure you do." She said.

Noire didn't say a word and just glared at Neptune. Shortly after, Neptune lifted her katana with using both of her hands.

"You look pitiful right now, so let me end your misery for you." Neptune said. At the same moment, Neptune's katana glowed, along with her whole being releasing a considerable amount of share energy. "You won't feel a pain, if you don't retaliate."

Noire was alerted. Neptune's current display of power could only mean one thing. She was going to use her ultimate move. An instant kill ability that can never be evaded nor blocked by anything nor anyone. Noire didn't think twice and forcibly lifted her greatsword horizontally with her right hand and used the power of share energy to increase her power. The bleeding of her wounds instantly stopped, but she felt the pain a hundred times run through her entire body in a short moment before she discarded the concept of pain from her mind. She threw away everything that she didn't need, physically and mentally, and focused her everything into her next attack. An attack similar to Neptune's. Her ultimate move.

Both their bodies released a massive aura, which caused another quake in the area. Both of them were going to end this battle in their next move.

"Goodbye, Noire." Neptune then lowered her katana down to the front of her torso after taking one step back as a charge for momentum.

But of course, Noire wouldn't let Neptune get her way. "Not on my watch, Neptune." She said as she slammed her left hand on the ground, releasing a shockwave.

They further increased their strengths by consuming more and more share energy and completely obliterated everything around them a quarter mile radius. Nothing could stop them anymore, aside from themselves.

"Neptune Break!"

"Infinite Slash!"

In an instant, the whole area glowed in white.

 **~o~O~o~**

Plutia was flying back to the battlefield at a low altitude. She took Blanc to somewhere very far from the combat zone, so she also needed some time to come back. For some reason, the tremors died down, which made her think that it was already over. But no, she couldn't be too careful about that. Neither Noire nor Neptune had intentions of losing, so it wouldn't make sense if it abruptly ended _like this._

As she was nearing her destination, she noticed that even the clashing of swords died down.

"It's too qui-"

Before she could finish her sentence, an explosion of light erupted from afar. She raised her altitude to check what just happened and saw a huge ball of light not too far from her position. It was like a nuclear bomb that just exploded. And speaking of a nuclear bomb...

"Wha-?!"

A strong pressure of wind just blew up to her whole body. It was so strong that she would be blown away if she didn't prepare for it seconds ago as she raised a barrier in front of her to suppress it. She circled around the ball of light, which was growing in size.

"Neppy, Noire..."

She couldn't see them. Well, physically, as she could only see the giant ball of light, and purple and white flashes that were coming in and out of it, which seemed to be clashing against each other. The wind was getting stronger, but it was tolerable for her at the very least. She continued to circle around as she tried to look for Green Heart's body, and saw it lying down not too far from her position. Green Heart's body would be blown in no time as the wind was continuously getting stronger by the second. Before the wind could fling Green Heart's body, Plutia quickly flew towards it, in hopes that she wouldn't lose flight control because of the wind.

With the current situation, Plutia was still having doubts that the CPU of Leanbox would still be alive, but when she saw Green Heart's body, that doubt was immediately washed away. Her body was still in HDD form, and that gave her an idea that that CPU was still alive.

As Plutia was about to get close to Green Heart, the ball of light got bigger and the wind got stronger again, almost throwing Plutia's flight into disarray.

"...Ngh-!"

She fought the pressure and kept herself from losing control. Before she could make it to her target, Green Heart's body was already flailing.

"Goddess damnit!" Plutia cursed.

But she didn't give up yet. She increased her speed, ignoring the dangers that might pose to her. She chased Green Heart's flailing body at full speed. Her hands were extended forward as she gave chase, attempting to reach Green Heart's body. After a few attempts, she managed to get a hold of her body, but she lost control of her flight as the wind grew stronger once more.

"...Ngh...!"

She held Green Heart's body tighter. She realized where the wind was taking her, and so she shifted her body backward. She was going to crash into a building!

Plutia braced herself and deployed a shield behind her before she crashed, but the force was too strong that the shield was destroyed upon impact.

"-AGH-!" She grunted in pain as her back crashed into the building. She coughed blood afterward, as she felt the damage dealt by the crash inside and out. "...Damn it." She could feel her strength dropping down from the injuries she just sustained. She then unintentionally brought her eyes to Green Heart and saw something unusual in her wounds.

"..."

Yes, there was _something_ in her wounds.

"...What a clever bitch this woman is." Plutia said as she detached herself from the building and retreated from the area while bearing with the pain in her back.

 **~o~O~o~**

In the center of the city, there emerged a huge ball of light. The source was the power of the two foreign CPUs fighting, namely the CPU of Lastation and CPU of Planeptune. As for what was going on inside it, they were exchanging blows against each other, but those were not just simple blows that could be seen from a mere swordfight. Each attack they delivered was packed with great share energy, the source of their divine powers.

"..."

Each time they pass by each other, they attempted to cut one another, but the result was only both of them parrying each other's attacks. Multiple attempts, same results. Yet, they didn't stop.

"..."

Another attempt, the results were indifferent.

"..."

Noire, the CPU of Lastation, couldn't see properly anymore. She had pushed her body past its limits, and her vision was getting blurry. But still, her devotion never wavered. She was still set to do what she ought to believe was right.

Neptune, the CPU of Planeptune, on the other hand, was also past her limits. Despite Noire having the greater disadvantage in the fight, Neptune still had a hard time killing her. She didn't know why, but she couldn't eliminate her the way she wanted to.

"Neptune-!"

"Noire-!"

Noire summoned a barrier under her foot, stepped on it, did a quick air kick turn and dashed back to Neptune. The CPU of Planeptune did the same as flipped her body forward and then dashed towards Noire. As they got close to each other, they swung their weapons, in which both of it clashed against each other as they both parried the attack of the other. The ball of light then suddenly exploded and disappeared into thin air. Both CPUs landed on the leveled ground as the explosion separated them both.

Neptune and Noire didn't waste time and immediately turned around and dashed back to each other. They swung their weapons again against each other as they got close, not giving themselves a breathing room.

"...Kuh-!"

"...Ngh-!"

Their weapons sparked each time they clashed and a tremor about a hundred meter radius was erupting from the ground.

"Noire...! Noire...!"

"Neptune...!"

Slash.

Another slash.

Another slash.

Parry.

Block.

Nothing has changed. Their battle was in a stale. But the fatigue in their bodies was getting stronger by each swing of their weapons. Whoever breaks first will definitely lose.

 **~o~O~o~**

Plutia arrived back at the inn where she just left Blanc, with the unconscious body of Green Heart in her arms. She wasted zero time and headed inside.

Blanc was sitting on the same sofa which she used as a bed earlier. Plutia immediately walked towards her. "I'm back, Blanc."

Blanc's eyes widened as she saw Green Heart unconscious. "How's that woman?"

"Your hunch was right. She's still alive." Plutia said as she laid Green Heart's body on the sofa after Blanc stood up. "She disconnected her psyche from her body right before she was 'killed' by Neptune."

Blanc was more than surprised after hearing that explanation. "So, in other words...?"

"Yes, her body is currently connected to her share reserves." Plutia said as she pointed on Green Heart's wounds. There were some small crystal-like objects running through it, which seemed like restoring the flesh of the body. "The power of shares are currently repairing her body."

"..." Blanc was speechless. At the very same moment, the tremors died down. "...What happened?"

Plutia could only make a bitter expression. She also didn't say a word and just clenched her fist. "...Plutia. You have to stop them. They might still go at it again."

"..." Plutia bit her lip.

"Plutia!"

Blanc said as she shook the woman's shoulders, which startled the Planeptune CPU. "Get a grip of yourself!"

Plutia glared at Blanc. "Didn't you just say earlier that we have to wait for an opening?"

Blanc's eyebrow twitched. While yes she said that, she didn't mean it to the extent that they would wait for too long. "I did say that, but this is getting too long. Their bodies would break before they know it."

Surprisingly, Plutia wasn't surprised to hear that. Truth to be told, she already had that thought at the back of her mind.

"And if there's a perfect time to do that, now's the time." Blanc said. She tried to stand up, but she instantly lost her balance as pain immediately rushed to her head and fell on her knees. She wasn't in any condition to move normally. "Please, Plutia. You're the only one who can stop them."

Plutia bit her lip again. "If only it would be that simple..."

"Something bothers you?" Blanc asked. She never saw Plutia like this before. In her eyes, she looked hesitant. Something was preventing her from taking action. Though she pretty much knew what was bothering Plutia's mind. "Let me guess, it's Noire again, right?"

Plutia didn't say anything and just looked away from her. It was a bingo for Blanc.

"Seriously, I had an impression that you were not the type to hesitate." Blanc said as she sighed. "Seems like I was wrong."

Plutia didn't like that comment, but what she said was true. She was indeed hesitating. But she couldn't help it. Noire was serious about her decision, and bringing Neptune back seemed like an impossible task now.

"Why don't do yourself a favor and decide for yourself?" Blanc said as she crossed her arms. "Waiting here will not solve anything."

With that comment, Plutia finally lost it. She, of course, didn't like to hear that from anyone.

"Of course, I want to save Neppy too, goddess damn it!" Plutia snapped and crushed the small table in front of her with her bare hands as her emotions finally broke out.

"And I can't bring her back if I don't hurt her!"

"But Noire said she would, even if it's against her will as long as it means bringing her back!"

"I tried once, but I really can't, yet, I still want to save Neppy!"

"But... with who or what I am right now... I would only be a burden to Noire... Like how I always did in the past..."

Blanc's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat for a moment. She never realized that Plutia was bottling so much right now, and she was already tearing up as her transformation reverted. She really cared for Neptune so much, and she fully respected Noire's decision. Plutia's endearment for both Neptune and Noire was unrivaled. "...You should've said so sooner." Blanc said and pulled Plutia for a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that you were feeling that way."

Plutia just kept on swinging her head between her sobs.

"So, I guess it's really up to Noire now, huh...?"

 **~o~O~o~**

 _'Neptune...'_ Noire kept her eyes on Neptune as she was delivering her attacks to her. _'Is there nothing I could do for you anymore...?'_

Noire slashes, Neptune parries. Neptune attacks, Noire parries. A never ending cycle of battle. Their bodies were growing weaker each slash, but neither of them gave two cares about it.

Noire was getting a little distracted by her thoughts, but she still kept her focus on Neptune, though her swings were getting a little sloppy. Neptune was indifferent as well. In a nutshell, both of them were not in a good condition.

But of course, Noire was in a worse one.

As Noire kept on attacking Neptune, her vision was gradually getting blurry. She tried to blink twice in hopes that it would be fixed, but no, it didn't. And that was also the time that she realized that it wasn't her vision that was getting blurry. Her consciousness was slowly slipping away from her.

"...Ngh." She bit her tongue in order to fight her drowsiness. Fortunately, it did help, just a little. The wound in her abdomen wasn't helping, and she already lost a lot of blood from it.

Neptune, on the other hand, had her body full of wounds, with her processor unit torn and broken. She suffered a lot of injuries as well, and she was bleeding in different parts of her body.

Their clash still continued, even though each blow they deliver was getting weaker. Neither of them had the intentions to stop. But of course, it didn't last that long.

"...Ah-!"

At a certain moment Noire delivered an attack, Neptune dodged it, which made her lose her balance for a moment, creating an opening for the purple goddess.

"You're getting tired there... Noire...?" Neptune said as she did a slow spin. "...Because I do too..." She then delivered an upward slash, which Noire managed to block with her sword as she did a quick spin by twisting her body to face Neptune, but of course, her wound was something she didn't wish to feel. And so, she was pushed back by a few feet away from Neptune.

"...Ngh-! Kha-!" Noire coughed some blood as she was pushed back. Her blood splattered on the ground in front of her, with her whole body weakened. Her feet was about to give up, but luckily, she managed to keep her balance, just barely.

But of course, Neptune didn't give her time to rest.

"JUST DIE ALREADY, NOIRE!"

Neptune then angrily stomped her foot, and dashed towards Noire, with her katana pointed forward as she ignored all the pain in her body.

"..."

Noire didn't move, but Neptune didn't care about that. She didn't stop herself.

Neptune was closer, but still, Noire didn't move. As she got in point blank range...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIRE!" She then closed her eyes and thrust her katana forward. She then felt that her weapon hit something. Neptune didn't open her eyes and thrust her katana further to make sure that she didn't get tricked by her senses, but her weapon was indeed stuck on something.

She then slowly opened her eyes.

"Nep...tune..."

Neptune's eyes widened as she saw Noire in front of her, and they were just a few centimeters apart. Her katana pierced Noire's body, from her abdomen up to her back. Noire was intensively bleeding, with her blood dripping down on Neptune's blade. But what's more, it wasn't the main reason why Neptune looked so surprised.

Noire was smiling. That was what surprised Neptune and rendered her motionless and speechless.

Noire slowly raised her left hand and reached for Neptune's cheek. She then slowly fell on her knees, with Neptune unconsciously synchronized herself with Noire's actions.

"Why didn't you dodge, Noire...? I know you could."

But Noire didn't answer. She then slowly wrapped her left hand around Neptune and brought herself forward as she pushed her body further into the katana stuck in her body. "I... can't take... it... anymore..."

Neptune didn't know how to respond to that.

"You... really... are a... stubborn one..." Noire then pulled Neptune into a soft hug. Her body was gradually going cold. She didn't have long to keep her consciousness, and she herself knew this. "But... the same goes... for me... too...-akh-!" Noire coughed more blood.

Neptune still didn't move. She was conflicted.

"I... wanted to... say sorry... Neptune..."

That sentence seemed to have caught Neptune's attention. "Why... are you apologizing to me now...?"

"..." Noire didn't answer. With what she was about to do, she realized that Neptune didn't need to hear the truth.

Neptune was bewildered with Noire's silence. She thought that she already passed away, but she could still hear her soft breathing. She never got to know the reason why Noire was apologizing now as Noire didn't answer her and instead continued on what she wanted to say.

"I... am sorry... for everything..." Noire whispered in Neptune's ear. Her vision was gradually turning gray. "But... I... will save... you... no matter... what..."

Neptune was confused more. "What are you-?" Her eyes then widened before she could finish her sentence.

Neptune pushed Noire a little and looked down. To her surprise, she saw Noire's greatsword stabbed directly on her body, right above her abdomen and below her chest. Not long after that, blood rushed up to her throat, and ultimately coughed them out. "N-Noire...!" Neptune then fell on her knees as well, while still holding Noire's body with her.

"N-N-Noire...!"

"N-Nep...tune..."

Not long after that, they were both released from their HDD forms, reverting back to their human forms. Because they were out of strength, they both fell down sidewards, while the blades were still stuck in their bodies.

After a few moments, Neptune slowly opened her eyes. She felt her body getting cold, and the first thing she saw was Noire's face, with blood dripping out of her mouth. "N-Noire...?"

"You're... awake yet... sleepyhead...?" Noire then gave the best smile she could muster.

Neptune was alarmed, but she couldn't move her body, and she felt weak; very weak. "W-What is... going on... Noire...? Why... are you... like that...? And I feel... cold..." She said as she tried to move her head, but she couldn't.

"Don't... Neptune..." Noire said and then gathered all of the remaining strength she had and reached for Neptune's hands. "Just... keep looking... at me..."

Neptune didn't say a word and just complied with Noire's request. Both of them stared at each other's eyes, but the signs of life were gradually fading from it.

"N-Noire... I-I'm... scared..." Neptune's breathing was getting shorter between her words. Tears started to fall down from her eyes, as well as Noire.

Noire just kept her smile. "I... I am... too..." She said between her breaths. "But... we're... together... so... it's not... that bad... right...?" She then gripped Neptune's hands tighter, not wanting to let them go.

"...Mhm..." Neptune nodded weakly. She indeed felt less afraid as Noire held her hands, but she still was scared. "N-Noire... you... will keep your... promise... right...?"

Noire didn't hesitate and nodded. "Of course... I will keep... my promise... to you..." She said. She knew she didn't have long. "I... will stay... by your side... no matter... what..."

Neptune was relieved to hear that. She could feel her eyes gaining weight, and she couldn't fight it. "We'll be... together... forever... right... Noire...?"

"Yes... we will be... together... forever..." Noire weakly said. She knew that it was already her time. She wouldn't get another chance.

Neptune felt happy to hear that, as she closed her eyes and smiled afterward.

"Because..."

Noire closed her eyes. She couldn't hold it anymore.

 ** _"I love you... Neptune..."_**

 **~o~O~o~**

Not too long afterward, a very loud scream could be heard throughout Leanbox. It wasn't a scream because of shock and surprise, but a scream of despair.

* * *

 **Alright, chapter 10 is done.**

 **This concludes the main plot. The next chapter would be a short after-story to bring closure to the story.**

 **So... uhm... I'm not going to keep this longer. *hides***

 **So... uhm... reviews? *shivers***

 **So... yeah... I'm stepping out now. See you guys. *runs***


	11. An Inevitable Repercussion (Epilogue 3)

**Hi guys! Time for the final chapter!**

 **So yeah, I still can't get over with the previous chapter. Just wanted to say that.**

 **Before I start, some shit happened. My brother got me a new phone, and yes, I was happy. Then I gave my old phone to my mom, but I had to factory reset it first. BUT I FREAKING FORGOT, THE NEPxUNI FIC I WROTE WAS IN THERE! AND I DON'T HAVE A BACKUP OF IT! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY LIFE NOW.**

 **Anyways, some of you wanted to know who the person Big Nepsy and Croire was talking about at the start of the previous chapter. The answer is... WOOT! I'm not telling. To those who know who my favorite characters are, then you probably know who it would be.** **I have a habit of giving hints throughout the chapters. This one is no exception, so if you find it, you might know who it is.**

 **AAAAND, no. That won't be an implication for a continuation of this fic. This fic will be good as done after this chapter! Well, if I ever get to continue this one, it would a completely different plot and setting, so still nope.**

 **Anyways, I'm not going to make this longer. I want to say thank you to everyone who supported this story up to the very end! You guys are the best!**

 **Onto the chapter now! Should I say enjoy given what just happened to the plot? Kek.**

 **Am I really that edgy?**

* * *

"..."

A certain brunette wielding a pair of katars on her hands dropped down from a height and slashed a wandering Fenrir in the middle of the forest. The slash she made was a clean one; it was done through the monster's neck, swiftly, splitting the head from the body. The monster vaporized instantly afterward.

"Phew, that should do it." She said as she wiped her sweat and fixed her long, blue coat. Her hair was still silky smooth even after her constant jumping from tree to tree. She had been following that Fenrir for a while now, waiting for an opening. She checked her PDA; the quest she just took had a check mark on it, indicating that it was completed. She sighed in relief.

"Time to go back." She said and placed the PDA back in her pocket.

She then walked out of the forest without further ado. As she got out, she immediately hopped on her bike, which was parked just beside the entrance. She drove back to Planeptune without any detours.

On her way, her phone suddenly rang, indicating that there was an incoming call. She stopped her bike and answered the call, as she didn't really want to find herself in an accident while on the phone. She looked at her phone for a few moments to see who was the caller and saw a name. "Histoire" was shown on the phone's screen.

She then answered the call. "Hello? Lady Histoire?"

 _"Ah, IF! Please come back immediately! Plutia's at it again! Compa can't handle her anymore!"_

After hearing that, IF's body shivered.

"I got it. I'll be there in a flash." IF said as she ended the call, placed her phone back in her pocket and drove back to Planeptune's Basilicom at full speed while not thinking if she hit past the speed limit.

 **~o~O~o~**

After less than fifteen minutes, IF arrived at the Basilicom. Coincidentally, another person arrived at the same time as she did. A taller girl with long, blonde hair tied by a cherry-like hairpin on top, wearing a black and yellow one piece dress, with a zipper in the middle which encloses it. It was paired with a hoodie sweater of the same color, with two white cotton balls attached on hoodie part. She was wearing a pair of striped leg stockings with the same color combination. She was also wearing a brown choker, with a small bell hanging on it. Her big azure eyes and canine tooth were something that catches IF's attention every time she sees this girl.

"Peashy! Good timing." IF said as she approached the person named Peashy.

Peashy nodded. "Histoire called me as well, so I rushed back here."

IF nodded in return. They then both entered the Basilicom and rushed upstairs to where Plutia was. They didn't make it to the elevator as it just went up, and waiting for it to go down would waste them precious time. On their way, they could hear screams, both anger, and pain. IF could just grit her teeth as she and Peashy ran through the stairs and the corridors.

A short while after that, they arrived at their destination. The screams, of course, was louder than before.

IF didn't waste a second and blasted the door open. "Lady Plutia! That's enough! Stop hurting Compa!" IF then immediately jumped in front of Compa to protect her. Histoire was at the corner of the room, panicking as she couldn't do anything.

"Iffy...!" called the girl with long light congo-pink hair.

IF blocked Plutia's plushie with her arms as she was about to hit Compa with it. She winced in pain as she felt her arms almost breaking because of Plutia's strength. She's just a human, after all, and Plutia's a CPU. The difference of strength can't be compared.

But of course, Plutia didn't stop there. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-!" She chucked her plushie away, grabbed IF's arms, and then threw her away to the other side of the room with her bare hands. IF's back crashed into the wall, groaning in pain afterward as she fell down on the floor.

"Plutia, stop it!" Peashy swiftly dashed behind Plutia and knocked her out by hitting her nape. Plutia fell down on the floor as she lost consciousness.

Peashy sighed in relief, as Histoire did as well. She ran towards IF, who was struggling on the floor as she just crashed real hard on the wall. She pulled her up and brought her to the sofa to tend to her injury. "If you weren't trained for combat, Plutia would've done you in with that."

IF could just chuckle nervously from that statement. "Anyways, what's going on with Plutia?"

"Remember what day today is." Peashy said as she sat down beside IF as she sighed once more.

IF jumped down in her thoughts. Not a minute after, she remembered what day it was. "Oh, it's this day again..."

Histoire couldn't say anything and just bit her lip. She was also well aware of what Peashy was talking about. The very same day from ten years ago. The very same day that...

 **~o~O~o~**

 **(10 YEARS AGO)**

 _It stopped._

 _The clashes had stopped. The tremors died down as well._

 _Blanc was getting nervous all of a sudden. The prolonged stop of the battle didn't look like a good omen to her. In any case, all she knew was the outcome of that battle would be anything but peaceful._

 _'Should we go now...?' She asked herself. She then turned her attention to Plutia, who was still hugging her and sobbing on her chest. Her expression softened as she caressed Plutia's hair._

 _After a few minutes, it was still the same. No tremors whatsoever. This made Blanc think that the clash between Noire and Neptune was finally over. The result? She didn't know yet, but all she could wish for was that it wouldn't end in tragedy._

 _"Plutia, let's go. It seems like it's over." Blanc said as she pushed Plutia lightly away from her._

 _The purple haired girl nodded as she wiped her tears. "...Okay."_

 _Still, that was something new to Blanc. She didn't expect Plutia to be so emotional. Well, it wasn't even two weeks since they met, so of course, she didn't know Plutia that much._

 _Both of them stood up and transformed. Before taking a step, they turned to Green Heart, who was still unconscious on the sofa._

 _"...What are we going to do with her?" Blanc asked._

 _Plutia gave it a thought for a moment before answering. "...Let's come back for her later. She won't be waking up any sooner anyway."_

 _Blanc observed Green Heart's body for a moment. The crystal-like things running in her wounds were still there, and the slash Neptune made on her body was severe._

 _"Alright then. Let's go."_

 _Plutia nodded and both of them went out of the in. They wasted zero time and flew to their destination._

 _"..."_

 _They can't say that they weren't nervous, of course. Both of them knew that Neptune and Noire forced themselves past to their limits. So they wouldn't be surprised if they ended with multiple broken bones or something._

 _As they got closer, they could feel the atmosphere getting cold, not literally, of course. Blanc and Plutia gulped as they turned to each other, trying to ask the other something, but no words came out of their mouth. They slowly lowered their altitude as they got closer and closer to their destination, and eventually landed on the ground, proceeding on foot. The aftermath of the battle was seriously terrible. The center of the city several kilometers radius was leveled to the ground._

 _They observed their surroundings. Because the battlefield was too big, they couldn't pinpoint Noire and Neptune's location exactly, and so, they decided to split up and search for them._

 _"Where is...?" Blanc scanned her surroundings. Plutia went to the opposite direction, leaving her to the other one. The ground was rocky as it was filled with nothing but rubble. Tall buildings were destroyed, and small buildings were crushed to the ground. This placed resembled nothing but ruins._

 _"...!"_

 _Not too long after that, Blanc stopped in her tracks as she saw something few meters away from her. What she saw left her speechless, also made her heart race. She was frozen on the spot as she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She couldn't believe it, yet she knew that there was a possibility of it happening._

 _"N...No...ire...?" Her voice cracked as she slowly walked towards them._

 _In front of her, there was Noire and Neptune, lying on the ground. But that wasn't all. Blades were stuck in their bodies, and both of them were bathing in a pool of blood; their own blood, specifically, as they held each other's hand. Blanc's breathing was getting heavier the more she stared at them._

 _"N...No..."_

 _She couldn't move. She didn't know what to do. She was like that for a while, unable to move as if she was suddenly devoid of strength._

 _"Blanc! I couldn't find them there, how about-"_

 _The moment Blanc heard that voice, she snapped back to reality. "Plutia! Don't come here!" She turned around and tried to block Plutia._

 _"What are you-?"_

 _But she was too late._

 _"..."_

 _Blanc stopped halfway._

 _"Neppy...? Noire...?"_

 _Blanc bit her lip. She really didn't want Plutia to see this, but of course, this would be inevitable. Plutia would see them either way._

 _"Neppy...? Noire...? Say something...?" Plutia's transformation reverted as she landed on the ground. She walked towards Neptune and Noire, waiting for a response. But of course, they didn't respond. "Neppy... Noire..."_

 _Blanc reverted her transformation. Her heart was aching all this time. She wished that this was just an illusion, but no, this was the reality._

 _Neptune and Noire are gone. They're no longer in the world of the living._

 _Plutia fell down on her knees, on the pool of blood, and pulled Neptune and Noire's bodies closer to her. She then hugged both of them as her tears fell down from her eyes. No words could explain the pain she was feeling, not even her own words could._

 _"..."_

 _Seeing Plutia at that state, Blanc couldn't help but cry. All these times that she was acting tough, it finally came to an end. Everything was laid bare in front of her. The death of her friends. The friends she just had for a short time. Nothing could be more painful than that._

 _"Noire... Neptune..." Blanc whispered as she joined Plutia. There was nothing other than despair surrounding Leanbox at that moment._

 _And that despair was the beginning of the end._

 _"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

 **~o~O~o~**

IF sighed.

Looking back into it. She never met Noire nor Neptune. When she, Peashy, and Compa was saved from the incident in the airship terminal, that was also the time when Planeptune was in war with Leanbox. They were admitted to a hospital during that time, and they had no recollection of what happened during the incident.

"I wonder what kind of person Neptune and Noire is..." Peashy said out loud.

Histoire was about to say something when she was interrupted by a voice suddenly speaking from the room. "Those two... they were inseparable."

IF turned to the source of the voice, and saw a short, brown-haired girl, wearing a white and red hat. Her outfit was resembling a shrine maiden's. "Lady Blanc..."

"Sorry for suddenly barging in." Blanc said as she smiled at them. She then turned to Plutia, who was unconscious on Compa's lap. "I see that she was on it again, wasn't she?"

IF chuckled nervously, while Peashy just averted eyes away from Blanc, and Compa smiled awkwardly. "Now, now, you don't need to be guilty about it. None of these was your fault."

"What do you mean by 'Those two were inseparable'?" IF asked.

"It's just as I said." Blanc said. "If you want to know more, I believe Histoire here can tell you."

Three heads, no, four heads turned to Histoire with expectant looks. "Well, I expected that this day would come."

"Why didn't you tell us anything, Histoire?" Peashy asked.

"Because you never asked."

Peashy almost thought that Histoire was being sarcastic, but then looking at her expression, she immediately discarded that thought. Histoire had this pained expression on her face, and it was obvious that recalling or just talking about Neptune and Noire brought pain to her heart.

"So, what do you want to know? Talking about it from the very start would take me three days to finish, so I'll just answer what your questions are." Histoire said.

IF suddenly had a feeling that she shouldn't ask anymore, but the opportunity was already there, so she reluctantly accepted Histoire's offer. "My question earlier, then."

"Ah, that." Histoire then landed her tome on the small table in the middle of the room. "It was back when Noire and Neptune just became CPUs 25 years ago."

IF and Peashy gulped. That very long time surprised them, but with their knowledge that Goddesses never age, they basically live eternally. But that didn't mean _they can't_ die.

"When Neptune appeared on us, we didn't have an idea where she came from. Add that she had amnesia that time too, she looked like a lost cause." Histoire said. "So we took her in the Basilicom, and that was Plutia's idea."

None said a word and just let Histoire continue her storytelling.

"When Neptune became a CPU, fragments of her memories returned to her, but I wouldn't say that it was a good idea that she recovered them."

IF raised an eyebrow. "Why so?"

"Because of that time, she attempted to kill Noire right after defeating their opponent." Histoire said. "But good thing that Neptune was still a fresh bred CPU that time, and all of her memories didn't come back to her yet, so she managed to stop herself from killing Noire."

"That doesn't make sense, Lady Histoire..." IF said, but of course, it was expected by Histoire.

Histoire swung her head. "Yes, it does. Neptune and her HDD form were two separate persons. Think of it like this: _Neptune_ was the person who lived _here,_ and her HDD form was the one who lived _in the past._ "

"Additionally, we learned that Neptune came from another dimension, so it would also look like her HDD form was the one from that dimension, and her human form was the one from here."

IF then fully understood what Histoire just said. It made sense to her now.

"So, because Nep... Lady Neput-, scratch it, Lady Nep didn't recover all of her memories, her HDD form didn't know that she didn't belong in this world, right?"

Histoire swung her head. "I don't know. I never knew what was going on inside Neptune's consciousness, so I can't say anything."

"I see..." IF sighed in disappointment. "Anyway, I get the gist of it, but I still don't know why those two were inseparable."

"It's not really clear to me, but after that incident, as years passed by, Noire's attitude towards Neptune gradually changed."

IF didn't seem to understand that. "Why so?"

"Well, right before Leanbox' declaration of war, Noire was in conflict with Blanc here."

IF, Peashy, and Compa turned to Blanc. The Lowee CPU then smiled awkwardly and looked away from them. Obviously, that was the only reaction expected from her.

"But before that, an incident happened here in Planeptune." That seemed to catch the attention of the three. Blanc as well, since she wasn't in good terms with Noire that time, so whatever was happening in Planeptune was none of her concern. "There was someone trespassing here in Planeptune, and always making a ruckus. Neptune was all alone in the Basilicom because Plutia and I were out to do work. I didn't exactly know what happened, but when we arrived back, Noire told me after a few hours about what happened when she got here."

Four of them gulped as they listened carefully to Histoire.

"She said that Neptune accessed her HDD again, after fifteen years of not doing so." Histoire said. "I still didn't know what was going on with Neptune that time, so I didn't make any actions."

Nobody said a word as they kept their attention to Histoire.

"That time, I should've listened to Noire's advice to keep an eye out for her, but what's done is done." Histoire said. Despite her calm demeanor, all of them knew that she was hurting from the inside. But IF, Peashy, and Compa had to know. "The night on that very same day, Neptune attempted to kill Noire again."

"What?!" was the reaction of the four after hearing that.

Histoire bit her lip. "Neptune had a dream of her past, right before she was cast away from her world. It could be because she transformed that day which made her memories resurface again."

"So... what happened next?" Blanc asked. She was deeply intrigued by that.

"Neptune managed to stop _herself_ again... but at the price of her stabbing her own guts."

Blanc's eyes widened, with IF, Peasy, and Compa gasped altogether. Surprises came one after another. And the biggest surprise yet was Neptune stabbing herself.

"That's when I came to know that Neptune was cast away from her world, as I peeked inside her memories after treating her wound." Histoire said. She couldn't say that she was proud of that work. Well, peeking at someone else's memories isn't really a noble job. "After that, I also came to know that it was Noire's, Blanc's, and the CPU of Leanbox's counterparts who cast Neptune away."

They turned to Blanc again, but this time, she didn't look away. She was aware of that, of course.

"Even though I kept telling Noire that it wasn't her responsibility, she still felt guilty about it. That was why she was so overprotective of Neptune."

Blanc sighed. "So that's why Noire was so eager to not let Neptune kill anyone. She didn't want Neptune to become _the person she used to be._ "

"Exactly." Histoire said.

Now everything was clear to IF. But listening to Histoire's story made her wonder about something. She had a thought that _there was something_ missing from Histoire's story, but she couldn't pinpoint it exactly. Her distress was noticed by Histoire. "IF, something wrong?"

IF jolted a little as she was snapped back from her thoughts. "A-Ah? No, nothing. I was just thinking about something..."

"You know, you can ask me anything."

IF swung her head. "No, that's not it. It's just... I feel like there's something missing from your story. About Lady Noire..."

Histoire raised an eyebrow. She was pretty sure that she had told them the most and important parts that they wanted to know. She just couldn't get the idea where IF got those impressions.

"I'm not sure, but I relayed to you everything you wanted to know."

IF gave up on that thought. "Is that so...?"

On the other hand, Blanc was thinking the same thing. No, she actually knew it already, but she decided not to say it, and just bit her lip. She realized what IF was talking about, as she recalled what she saw _that day_. And of course, recalling that memory wasn't really a good experience for her. Though she wished she could just forget it, she didn't want to. She would never forget her friends, even if they just lived with her for a short time.

 **~o~O~o~**

After a short while, IF, Peashy, and Compa left the Basilicom, leaving Blanc, Histoire, and an unconscious Plutia on the bed.

"Didn't you have something to say earlier, Blanc?" Histoire said.

Blanc was silent for a moment before sighing. "Was I really that obvious?"

"Not really, but every time you bite your lips, you're hiding something."

Blanc's eyes widened. She didn't know that she had that kind of mannerism. Actually, she was wondering when did that start. "Really now, you knew just because of that?"

"No, that was just an assumption of mine, but you yourself confirmed it."

"..." Blanc was speechless. Did Histoire just trick her? "I never knew you were a trickster, Histoire." She then sighed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it, but I really want to hear what you wanted to say." Histoire then flew to Blanc's side.

Blanc didn't know if she should say it, given that it was just also her assumptions. But her assumptions were very close to what she had observed before. Well, she got nothing to lose anyway, so might as well come clean with it. "About what IF said earlier, that something was missing in your story."

Histoire raised an eyebrow.

"It's just my assumptions, but I think what IF was trying to think earlier is how Noire cares for Neptune."

Histoire's eyebrow didn't lower. "I'm not sure if I follow..." She knew that already, but,

"Basically, it's about Noire's feelings for Neptune." Blanc said. "If you're going to ask me, Noire loved Neptune, not just as friends, but more than that."

Histoire blinked twice. She didn't expect that answer. "Oh my, so that was why Noire was so overprotective of Neptune."

"Exactly, though I think it doesn't matter even if I say it now."

Histoire could just nod in agreement. Neptune and Noire didn't exist in this world now, so whatever they find out about them wouldn't change anything.

Though Blanc could just hope that Noire conveyed her feelings for Neptune before she died, which she would never know, even if Noire did or not.

"So, how are you doing now?" Histoire said. She didn't have the time to check up on Blanc because she was too busy with her work. "I hope you're doing well, now that you're taking care of both Lowee and Lastation."

Blanc swung her head. "It's nothing. I can handle it."

Yes, Blanc was taking care of both Lowee and Lastation now. Meaning, she's the CPU of both nations. Lastation would collapse without a CPU, and Blanc would never allow that. So she took the liberty to stand up and become the new CPU of Lastation.

But of course, after tying up loose ends.

 **~o~O~o~**

 _"Are you ready?"_

 _Histoire was beside me when she asked me that question, which I nodded in response. There, just outside the doors of Lastation's Basilicom, was a big crowd waiting for me. I admit; I was still nervous because I was about to face the people who were dissatisfied with me. But no, I got to be strong._

 _I just hoped that they would accept me again._

 _"I am."_

 _"Then, the stage is yours. Good luck."_

 _I faced the door. Of course, I was still nervous, but that just meant that I care for my people. I had fear of their opinions and criticisms. But enough of that, I had to do my part. For this nation and its people's sake, and for myself as well._

 _I reached for the door and opened it. As I got out, a massive crowd gathered just outside the Basilicom. They had this surprised look on their faces, which obviously stating that I wasn't the one that they were expecting to see._

 _But the person they wanted to see is no longer here._

 _And so, I had no choice but to break it to them._

 _"Hear me, citizens of Lastation." I said out loud, which silenced the crowd. "I may not be the one you are expecting to see, but I beg you to lend me your ears for now."_

 _The crowd started to murmur to each other, but I silenced them as I raised my hand._

 _"First, I wanted to apologize to my former people." I said. I wanted to say that first. "I was in the wrong before; my judgment was clouded, and my stress took over my mind. I lost control of myself, but that is in the past now."_

 _The crowd was silent. I didn't expect that; it kinda made me nervous, but I had to continue._

 _"Few weeks ago, Lastation, Lowee, and Planeptune, was at war with Leanbox." The crowd then started become noisy. Well, of course, I knew the reason why. I raised my hand again to silence them. "I know, it was so sudden that we hadn't informed you, but do not worry, it has ended already."_

 _The crowd seemed to be pleased, but it wouldn't be for too long. I was sure of it. Someone from the crowd then stepped forward and asked a question._

 _"Lady White Heart, where is Lady Black Heart? We haven't seen her for a long time."_

 _"Yeah! Where did Lady Black Heart go?"_

 _"I want to see her too!"_

 _Multiple questions asking about Noire came one after another, and of course, it didn't please me. I lifted my hand again to silence them, but it didn't die out. And so, I summoned my axe and stomped it on the ground lightly, which stopped the noise of the crowd._

 _"I'm sorry, I really didn't want to do that."_

 _Surprisingly, nobody said a word._

 _I took a deep breath. But then as I exhaled, my tears started to fall from my eyes. I couldn't stop it. I couldn't. I couldn't. I couldn't._

 _"Black Heart... no... Noire... died in battle." I said as I clenched my fists. That shocked the people, but nevertheless, they stayed silent, so I took advantage of it. "Planeptune's CPU, Neptune, also met the same fate as her."_

 _The crowd was still silent. But I knew that some people were already crying from the news about Noire._

 _"Our enemy was strong, which left me powerless." I clenched my fists harder. I could feel my nails piercing my skin, but I didn't give two shits about it. "I am ashamed of myself. Really."_

 _"But Noire and Neptune didn't give up and fought till the very end. That's why we came out as victorious."_

 _I hated myself for lying to the people, but I've got no choice. They didn't need to hear the truth about Noire's actions, and I knew that Noire wouldn't want her people to know that she sacrificed herself just to stop Neptune._

 _"I've only met Noire for a short time, but I consider her a great friend. I couldn't ask for a better blessing in my entire life."_

 _I hope that the people would accept me._

 _"And so, I will treasure everything she has. From now on, I will be your new CPU, but I will not take Lastation for myself." I said as I wiped my tears away and stomped my axe once more. "Hence, Lastation will still keep its flag, dignity, and honor. Have faith in me, I would appreciate it very much. Keep your faith to Noire, I do not mind. Your decisions will be my decisions. Lastation will not be bounded to anyone but to you, its people!"_

 _Silence._

 _I wasn't sure if I worded that right, but I have no right to retract what I've just said. And so, I waited for the people to arrive at their decision._

 _"Lady White Heart!"_

 _"Lady White Heart!"_

 _"Lady White Heart!"_

 _Cheers started to erupt from the crowd. Though I could see that not all of them were doing the same, I still was relieved that the people accepted me for who I am._

 _"Thank you... Thank you very much...!"_

 **~o~O~o~**

"That's good to hear then." Histoire said.

Blanc smiled at Histoire. "Thanks. It seems like I don't need to pamper Plutia today, so I better get going."

"Sure. Take care of yourself." Histoire said as she waved at Blanc, who just waved back at her as she exited the room.

Blanc immediately left Planeptune's Basilicom and headed back to Lastation. She then landed in front of an infrastructure that looked like a prison. She wasted zero time and went inside. The guards greeted her as they saw her arrive, in which Blanc greeted them back. As she went further deep down inside the prison, she found herself in front of a massive door, with several lock mechanisms.

"..."

She placed her hand on the hand scanner, then to the retina scanner. After confirming her biometrics, she then moved to the voice scanner, and lastly entering a sixteen-digit password on the keypad attached next to the door. As she completed everything, the door then slowly opened.

Blanc walked inside the dimmed room. In the middle of the room, there was a huge transparent sphere-like object. Inside that object, there was a woman imprisoned, with her feet and hands chained to ensure that she wouldn't be able to do something. Blanc snapped her fingers and dim lights illuminated the room.

"I see that you're still doing good." Blanc said as she got a clear view of the imprisoned woman.

"..." The woman just glared sharply at Blanc. "I don't hold any value to anyone, why don't you just dispose of me?"

There was silence for a moment. "...Hahahahahahahaha-!" Blanc instantly laughed at that comment. She seriously couldn't believe that, of all people, she would say that.

The woman gritted her teeth and slammed the transparent wall of her cell. "What's so funny?!"

Blanc's laughter died down a little. "You think you can afford a luxury such as death? No, no, no, you can't."

"After all, death is your only salvation, so why would I give that to you?" Blanc continued as she smiled evilly. "You're not getting off the hook that easy, Vert."

Yes, Vert, or her CPU name, Green Heart, was the one imprisoned. She was captured by Blanc and Plutia ten years ago when she disconnected her psyche from her body right when she was about to get killed by Neptune. And when she came back, she was already here.

"Then why have you come here?! Just to mock me?!"

Blanc crossed her arms. "Partly, yes. But like I said, I wouldn't give you death, so I'll make sure that you will get to spend your entire life in this prison."

Vert gritted her teeth as she slammed the transparent wall again, but it didn't do any damage. The sphere that was imprisoning her was reinforced with something that even her share energy couldn't affect.

Blanc turned around as she ignored Vert's rage, but then she stopped halfway as she remembered something. "Oh, right before I forget." Blanc said as she walked back near the spherical prison cell. There was a control terminal right beside it, and that's where she was headed. She meddled with the terminal, opening switches, and stuff.

"I hope you like my present for you today." Blanc said and then pushed a button.

In an instant, the spherical prison cell glowed a little.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-!"

Vert's cries echoed inside the room as she got electrocuted. Blanc released the button short while after that and the flow of electricity inside the spherical prison cell was cut. Vert's body fell down on the floor and was emitting smokes, with her skin burned, but the share energy inside her was healing her wounds.

"Haah... haahh... haah..." Vert was panting very hard as she tried to catch her breathing.

After a few seconds, Blanc pushed another button.

"...Ngh... Nnnn-!"

The temperature inside the spherical prison cell drastically increased, and by the time it reached to a point that the transparent wall was already moistening,

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-!" Vert's cries once again echoed as her skin was burned by the heat.

Blanc smirked as she saw Vert's suffering playing in front of her. She immediately released the button she just held and then pressed another button.

Vert lifted her head up and looked at Blanc. "S-S-Stop... n-n-no... mo...re-, p-p-plea...se..." Vert's voice was cracking and stuttering. The temperature inside the cell suddenly dropped down to a few negative degrees Celsius, which was gradually freezing her body inside out. "...P-p-please... j-just... kill... m-me..."

Blanc's eyes narrowed a little. She then released the button, turned the terminal off and walked away.

"Haah... haaahh... haaahhh..." Vert's breathing was heavier than usual as she stared at Blanc with a lifeless look, and after a few moments, she lost consciousness.

Blanc sighed in disappointment. "See you later, Vert."

She then exited the room without looking back.

 **~o~O~o~**

IF and Compa stepped out of the airship they just rode. Peashy wasn't with them because she separated ways as she had another thing to do. The place they landed on was neither of the four nations. They were on an island located in between the four countries.

"Oh yeah, this is your first time here, right Compa?" IF said as she turned to Compa, who was amazed by the beautiful scenery around her.

Compa nodded. "Y-Yes, I'm kind of nervous."

"Don't be." IF then started to walk, which Compa followed. "Come on, follow me. We're going to the Shrine of the Goddesses."

"I thought that this island is the whole shrine?" Compa asked in confusion.

IF swung her head. "Well, yeah. Technically. But the actual shrine is at the center of the island."

Compa's face suddenly turned purple. IF noticed that and remembered that Compa wasn't really used to walking long distances. Well, it wouldn't be a long walk, honestly. "Don't worry, it's not that far."

After saying that, Compa sighed in relief.

They didn't talk about anything afterward as they headed to their destination. After a short walk, they arrived at a very large infrastructure that looked like a church; more or less around thirty hectares of land was occupied, and with a height of approximately twenty meters.

"W-Wow, this is so big." Compa said in awe. Anyone would be surprised to see something like this in their first time.

"Yeah. Lady Blanc and Lady Plutia made this possible." IF said as she stared at the top of the building. To her eyes, it seemed like it would fall down onto her any second because of its height.

"Why are we here, Iffy?"

IF then looked at the front entrance. "You'll see when we get inside." She then walked towards it, with Compa following her from behind.

They went inside without further ado as they passed through the security. Everyone is free to enter the shrine, provided that they follow the rules and regulations. The lobby was almost empty, with only a few people stationed.

"Iffy, where to now?"

IF looked from left to right, then back to the left. "This way, follow me."

Compa followed wherever IF was headed. They went further inside the shrine, and after a few walks, they arrived at a room with very large space.

"Wah..." Compa was amazed at what she saw. The window glasses on one side of the wall with an image of a person engraved on it was projecting on the floor with the help of the sunlight hitting it from the outside. Another thing that caught her attention was the two tall statues just ahead of them, with several people kneeling down in front of it.

"That's..." Compa said as she pointed at the statues.

IF nodded. "Yes, those are the statues of our Goddesses, Lady Black Heart and Lady Purple Heart, or should I say, Lady Noire and Lady Nepu- Lady Nep." IF bit her tongue as she tried to pronounce Neptune's name. She reminded herself to be careful when pronouncing Neptune's name. She then grabbed Compa's hand and lead her closer to it. "Come on, let's pay our respects."

Compa just let IF pull her away. They joined the people in giving their respects to their goddesses. The area was silent, as silence was strictly implemented in the shrine. After a few minutes, the people started to leave one by one. Only a select few were left, including IF and Compa, who were taking their prayers to heart. As they finished praying, they stood up from their respective cushions.

"Ready to go?" IF said.

Compa nodded. IF then smiled at her. "Alright, let's-" She unconsciously interrupted herself as something... or _someone_ caught her attention.

"Iffy, what's wrong?"

But IF didn't answer. Her eyes were wide open as she was staring at someone. Compa turned her head to where IF was looking and was also surprised to see what IF was seeing. "Iffy... is that..."

Without hesitation, IF swiftly dashed to the said person, leaving Compa. IF blocked her target, who was with someone.

"Woah!" IF's target backed away a little as she blocked her way. "W-Who are you?"

IF lifted her head to get a fine look at her target's face. Her eyes widened as she finally met that person face-to-face. She was a woman who seemed to be in her past twenties. If IF were to guess her age, it would be around twenty-six or twenty-seven.

"Are you just going to stare at me without saying anything?" The woman seemed to be creeped out by IF.

IF finally realized what she just did and straightened up. "A-Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to do that." IF rubbed the back of her head as she apologized. "I'm IF, an agent of The Guild."

"An agent of The Guild, huh?"

IF nodded. "Don't worry, I'm not here to arrest you or anything. Me being here is my personal agenda." IF said.

"Okay?" The said person said as she nodded while raising her eyebrow.

IF sighed in relief. "I just have a question, if you don't mind." IF requested. The woman then nodded, giving IF permission to ask her anything she wanted to. "Why do you look like-" IF was interrupted.

"-Purple Heart, is what you want to ask, right?" The woman finished IF's question for her. IF could just nod in surprise. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

The woman's companion seemed to be quiet as she just hid behind her.

"Well, technically, we're one and the same person, but our origins are not the same." She explained.

IF nodded. "So, does that mean, your name is Neput- Nepyu-..."

"Neptune, yes, that's my name." Neptune could just scratch her cheek due to the awkwardness of her name not being able to pronounce properly by IF.

"I see, so you're the Nep... from this dimension, right?" IF asked once again.

Neptune's eyes widened. "So you know that my CPU counterpart is not from this dimension."

"Well, Lady Histoire told me." IF said and smiled. She then took notice of the person behind Neptune who was clinging to her. "By the way, that person with you..."

IF heard a small 'eek!' voice and wondered where that came from.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but she's not really good with talking to people she doesn't know personally." Neptune said as she tried to step aside, but the woman behind her just followed her back, which made her sigh in amusement. "Ah, I got to go now. I have an important stuff to attend to, so we gotta run!" Neptune said as she grabbed her companion's hand and left. IF followed them with her eyes, particularly Neptune's companion. She looked like the same age as Neptune, with her long, sky-blue hair waving as she walked beside Neptune. What caught IF's attention most was the horn on her head, which made her wonder if that was real or just an accessory.

And what's more, she could've sworn that she had seen that person somewhere. Probably when she was doing some intel gathering.

"Iffy!" Compa called as she approached IF. "What was that about?"

IF turned to Compa. "Oh, it's nothing. I just mistook that person with someone I know." IF didn't know why she had to lie to Compa, but either way, she just did. "Let's head back to the Basilicom. It's already past four in the afternoon, and Lady Plutia should've calmed down already."

"I hope Lady Plutia would finally move on... She's just hurting herself..." Compa commented as they headed for the shrine's exit. Well, if it was that easy...

IF sighed. "Yeah, I hope so too, but it's easier said than done." IF said as they walked out of the shrine. "I don't mean to be cruel, but we're fortunate that she only gets to be like that once a year."

Compa didn't say anything after that. She felt like this conversation should not be continued, and IF knew that as well. That was why their journey back to Planeptune's Basilicom was nothing but filled with silence.

 **~o~O~o~**

After a short while of travel, IF and Compa arrived back at Planeptune. Before heading to the Basilicom, they dropped by the supermarket first to pick up some ingredients for dinner. They're living in the Basilicom with Plutia and Histoire, after all.

Now that they got what they needed, they headed straight to the Basilicom, few floors up. It was getting dark already, as nighttime was kicking in.

"We're home." IF said as they stepped inside the living room. Plutia was nowhere to be found, and Histoire was sitting on the sofa, watching TV.

Histoire turned to them as she noticed their arrival. "Oh, IF, Compa. Welcome back." Histoire greeted. She then noticed the plastic bags with them. "Sorry to make you do the groceries."

"No, no, it's no problem, really." IF said as she laid down the plastic bags and started to organize it with Compa. "By the way, how's Lady Plutia?"

Histoire turned her attention back to the TV. "Plutia's still asleep, and will wake up tomorrow."

"I see, that's too bad, she wouldn't get to eat dinner."

IF and Compa then started to cook dinner using the ingredients they just picked up from the supermarket. They were cooking beef curry tonight. With both of them working together, dinner was ready to be served in just a short moments.

"Lady Histoire, dinner's ready!" IF called as she took her apron off and served dinner on the table. Histoire flew towards the dining room after turning the TV off. Not long after that, the door from the living room opened.

"I'm back..."

"Peashy! You're just in time, dinner's ready!" Compa called.

In an instant, Peashy dashed to the dining room. Good thing that IF and Compa made a few more of dinner since Peashy was sometimes a binge eater. The four of them then sat down on their respective seats.

"Alright, let's eat!" Peashy said as she grabbed her spoon and fork, while IF, Compa, and Histoire could just look at her awkwardly. But well, they were getting hungry, so they just followed her lead.

"Thanks for the foo-ababababababa-!" Histoire suddenly was shaking like crazy.

IF panicked. Well, not just her, but the other two as well. "Lady Histoire?! What's going on?!"

"The-the-there is-is-is-is no-no-no-no p-p-pro-b-b-b-lem...! T-T-This is-is-is-is j-j-j-ust a-a-a-an in-in-in-inco-co-co-m-m-ming ca-ca-call-!"

IF and Peashy raised an eyebrow. Compa's eyes were white, unable to think of what to do in this situation.

Histoire's eyes then glowed for a bit, and afterward, a hologram appeared from her hand. It looked like a screen of sorts, with someone showing up on it.

 _"Hello, is this the 'me' from that dimension?"_ The person showed on the hologram screen started to talk. IF, Compa, and Peashy stood up from their chairs and went behind Histoire to get a look of that person. Their eyes widened as they saw who that person was.

Histoire was speechless.

 _"The fact that I can call you and talk to you personally right now means that you're 'me' as well."_ The person on the screen said again. _"It might be so sudden, but I want to introduce myself. My name is Histoire. I'm the one who records the history of Planeptune."_

Histoire from here sort of understood what Histoire from there was trying to say. "I see. My name is Histoire as well. I'm the one who guides Planeptune. Nice to meet you."

IF, Compa, and Peashy were left speechless. Two Histoire's talking in front of them made them dumbstruck.

 _"Likewise."_ Histoire from there said. _"I don't want to waste your precious time, so I will cut to the chase."_

Histoire from here just nodded.

 _"Do you perhaps, know a girl named Neptune? She has been missing for almost a month now, so I have been trying to call multiple dimensions to find her whereabouts."_

After hearing that name, all four of them were surprised. They felt nervous all of a sudden. That could just mean one thing, and that was...

 _"She's our CPU, and Gamindustri wants... no, needs her back."_

In an instant, Histoire from here ended the call without saying anything back.

* * *

 **Well, there you have it! This concludes the story Memories!**

 **Well, I previously said that it was going to be a short one, but I didn't expect it to be this long. Lol! Please don't kill me.**

 **Anyways, I am going back to work on Change The World now. I can focus on that one, but my updating would still be the same because I need to focus on my reviews, so yeah.**

 **If you were confused about "Histoire from here" and "Histoire from there", I just used the concept from Re;birth 3. I dunno which specifically, but I just remember the game having that when two similar people from different dimension were talking via Histoire's call. Not sure if that's really it.**

 **So, how did you like the story? Was it a "fun" ride? XD Drop your impressions in your whopping reviews!**

 **Until next time, see ya guys and thank you very much for sticking with me this entire time! I love you and you guys are the best! :3**


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